Runes of Fate
by Mysteryless
Summary: After the death of Igor, rips between two dimensions begin to appear worldwide, leading into nothingness. Except on a quaint little island with a dark secret, where dungeons have been popping up and students are being kidnapped. It's up to a new group of Persona users to put an end to the chaos, and bring enlightenment to the world. Original Persona storyline.
1. The Day Victor Got Kidnapped

**Author's Note: **So, welcome to Runes of Fate! This is a fun little project and a bit of a collaboration. While I do the writing, my friends and I discuss the events of each chapter and the overarching plot behind it. The only characters I own are Eliana Kazemi and her Social Links. Victor belongs to Shadow Minamino, AKA my close friend Fred. Special credits go to him and my big sister figure, Sophie Scorpio Star. If it weren't for them and their brilliant ideas that go into this fic, I wouldn't be so motivated to write this :D

Please bear the first few chapters, as not much will happen in them. They will also be VERY confusing at times. But I promise you everything will get a lot more exciting with time, and all the confusing parts will come together. If you have any criticisms to offer, I'd be happy to hear them :D (as long as they don't amount to "rewrite this fic altogether") I want to be able to bring all these brilliant ideas my friends and I came up with to justice. So without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One**

**-Time Unknown, Velvet Room-**

In a room located between consciousness and subconsciousness, three figures – all of them bearing a rather striking resemblance to one another - sat on velvet chairs around an upturned table. At least, two of them were. One of them was standing, her beautiful face itself impassive but a glint of anger in her slightly narrowed golden eyes. She was speaking quietly, but her voice was edged with uncharacteristic sharpness.

"_Look _at the state of this place, Elizabeth," she said to the only other woman in the room, indicating the dilapidated room with a sweeping gesture of her hand. The velvet wallpaper was peeling to reveal the dirtied, cracked wall beneath; the furniture was either broken or on its wrong side; papers and shards of glass littered the floor, insects crawling all over them. The mere sight of it all sent shivers down her spine. She was used to this room being pristine, and possessing a simple but mysterious beauty. _Not _as it was now.

"I'm sorry, Margaret," Elizabeth said, her usual playful smile not present. "But I already failed my duty the second I left this place. I thought Master Igor would be fine, especially with you-"

"Maybe things would have turned out different if you hadn't left!" Margaret's voice rose this time, her poker face beginning to crack. Wisps of her hair were beginning to fall loose from her headband, into her face where they masked her eyes. She blew them away with a long, frustrated exhale, but didn't bother tucking them away.

"No need to fight, you two," the man said. He ran a hand over his face, which despite being handsome, appeared exhausted. There were dark bags under his eyes, but he was neither as angry as Margaret nor as ashamed as Elizabeth. He was simply resigned. "What's done is done. Nothing we can do can bring Master Igor back."

"I'm sorry for my outburst," Margaret said, though the barely veiled venom in her voice suggested otherwise. "It was...uncharacteristic of me." Elizabeth nodded, her gaze averted elsewhere.

"What we should do," their brother continued, "is decide our next course of action. With one Wild Card out of commission and the other two already busy handling the situation, we need to find another. One who's...closer to the location of Kujo."

"You mean in...Ah...Mer...Ica?" Elizabeth said, struggling with the pronunciation of the word. He nodded.

"I believe some research is in order," he said, steepling his fingers as he leaned forward conspiratorially. "Master Igor _does _have some records in here. We only have time to grieve when this is all over. Until then, it's our duty as residents of the Velvet Room to do what needs to be done."

"We're not meant to intervene in real world affairs," Margaret informed him.

"It's what Master Igor would have wanted," Elizabeth retorted. "I don't think you realized this, Margaret, since you are...what would those mortals say? Married to the job? Yes, you're so 'married' to this job that you don't realize what will _happen _to this world if we _don't _intervene. Right, Theo?"

Theo nodded reluctantly. "As much as I hate to take sides in this dispute…and Margaret, please don't take this the wrong way…Elizabeth is right."

Margaret looked away, silently simmering.

"Actually...Master Igor mentioned something of the sort once," he said after a long pause. "There's an academy, in...what was it? Oh, right. Canada. In Canada. It's on a quaint, charming little island called Ile de Richard. Well...it isn't little, actually. It's quite large-"

"What does this have to do with anything, Theodore?" Margaret demanded, arms akimbo. Theo scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well...That's actually where Kujo originated..." Theo explained. "I don't know the full story. I was looking through the records earlier, and that's where I learned more about it. There's still a lot more that needs to be understood, though. The record was too long and complicated, and we're running short on time. That's why I say we bring some of them to the mortal world and...do something. Go to the island, I suppose. Scout out people with the...potential."

"It's best that we make the preparations as soon as possible then. It's been a while since I've been to the human world...And Elizabeth, no running off to save lover boy. Not until this is all over." Margaret shot her sister a stern, withering look.

Elizabeth nodded, but her thoughts were elsewhere. _If Minato were here, he'd be able to handle it for sure..._

* * *

**-Morning: Monday, September 8, 2014, -**

"Wow, it's huge," Victor said as he tilted his head back as far as possible just to take in the breathtaking sight of the school. It was a very old-fashioned style for a boarding school, looking much like a small castle, at least four storeys high with its roofs indented by crenellations. He wondered if any major battles took place on this island, and whether or not the school was used as a fortress. It was certainly designed like one. "I guess I'll be learning about that in History..."

His neck was starting to ache, so he stretched it as well as his back out, hearing the satisfying crack of vertebrae. He adjusted the strap of his bag and tugged his trolley suitcase along behind him as he began the walk towards the main building. The path was lined with colourful flowerbeds, behind which loomed trees with already reddening leaves. It was early autumn, after all, and there was a nice breeze stirring his open fleece.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the gates. With his free hand, he clumsily unfolded the letter he had received from the school, Ile de Richard Collegiate Institute. It was a rather strange name for a high school, but he supposed it was a Canadian thing. His eyes skimmed over the address, to the beginning of the principal's brief message.

"_Hello!_

_You have been invited to Ile de Richard Collegiate Institute for your outstanding performance in school, or perhaps for some special talent you may possess. You have been granted a full scholarship to attend, and we highly recommend that you take this opportunity, for we are a highly prestigious school." _

"'Outstanding performance in school'? Sure, I'm smart but not smart enough to deserve this scholarship. To an elite high school no less," Victor said out loud "And talent? What talent?" He sighed and continued to skim through the letter, where it detailed things that he could not care less about but took note of in his head anyway. The name "Margaret" was signed in elegant cursive at the bottom, but there didn't appear to be a last name.

He found that just a tad strange, but dismissed it and flipped to the map attached to the back. He tried his hardest to figure out where exactly his dorm was, but its layout baffled him. He pulled the trolley suitcase to his side and let it lean against his leg as he turned the map this way and that, pressing his face against it and then drawing back. But no matter how much he scratched his head and tried to figure it out, it just couldn't come to him.

Frustrated, he tucked it away and continued his journey into the school. "I'll just ask someone for directions," he decided under his breath. Students were milling about the foyer, some walking with purpose and a destination in mind, others much like him with amazed expressions and crumpled maps. He picked someone at random, a brunet boy who not only looked about his age but also like he actually knew where he was going.

"Uh, excuse me..." Victor said, approaching him more than a little nervously. He wasn't thrilled about requesting someone's help, especially that of a stranger's, but he figured it was important to make friends with at least one person before classes started the next day. The boy slowed down a little, glancing over his shoulder with narrowed gray eyes. Then he smiled warmly, and Victor realized his eyes were naturally that way.

"Need help getting somewhere?" he said with a British accent, sounding sympathetic. "Don't worry, the school is pretty big, but you'll get used to it soon. Where do you need to go?"

"The dorms," Victor said. "I'm no good with directions...and we're supposed to attend an assembly after this, right? Don't want to be late for that...I'm Victor, by the way."

"Nathaniel, but everyone just calls me Nate," the boy said, holding out his hand. Victor stared it uncertainly, then took it in his own and shook it loosely. Nate didn't seem to notice his hesitation and if he did, he didn't show it. "Dorms are arranged by grade. I'm in tenth. How about you?"

"Eleventh," Victor said. _He doesn't _look _like a tenth grader! He's just as tall as me...and he has stubble too. _He unconsciously touched his own clean-shaven chin.

"Hmm...Alright. By the way, the dorms are coed. Girls have the top floor, guys have the bottom," Nate explained as he led Victor through the winding corridors of the school. Victor tried to commit all the notable-looking classrooms to memory, but gave up when his head started to pound from it.

Neither of them spoke much after that. Victor noted that Nate wasn't actually that talkative at all. He was friendly, sure, and didn't seem shy, but he only said what he thought needed to be said. There was no meaningless small talk between them. That was just fine with Victor. He was no good with small talk, and for different reasons than Nate.

_Though I suppose I should try talking to him. You know, make friends, _he thought. He cleared his throat. "So...uh, Nate, are you new here? I'm guessing no, since you seem to know where you're going..." _Stupid question, Victor. Stupid question. _

"I started in freshman year," Nate said, keeping his eyes trained ahead of him. "I got an academic scholarship."

"So you're pretty smart, then, huh? I got a scholarship too, but I don't know why...They just invited me here for some reason," Victor said. He remembered the other thing that Margaret had said in her letter about the scholarships. "I don't have...'special talents'," he air quoted this, "either."

"Then you likely have some hidden potential," Nate suggested. Victor thought he saw the twitch of a sly smile from the slight angle he could see of Nate's face. It was the kind of smile that suggested that he knew something that Victor didn't. An unsettling smile.

Nate turned around then, eyes twinkling. It turned out that his smile wasn't unsettling at all. It was warm and good-natured, just like Nate himself. Victor decided that he was imagining things. "Well, we're here. If you need any more help, you can call me up...That is, if you'd like to exchange phone numbers."

"Uh, sure."

After exchanging their numbers and goodbyes, Victor entered the dorm, allowing himself a moment to appreciate the common rooms. A huge flat screen TV – currently off - took up much of the space on one wall, an antique grandfather clock ticking away beside it; a juxtaposition of modern and outdated, he thought. There were bookshelves to one side, many books of varying thickness neatly stacked. Above, a huge painting of a sweeping landscape by the beach hung somewhat crooked, a glaring imperfection in the otherwise pristine room.

Around a small coffee table was a square formation of velvety soft sofas that Victor knew he'd end up taking naps on late semester while studying for exams. A girl was sitting there, flipping through a magazine with so little interest that it looked more like she was reading that one tedious novel from English class. She looked up suddenly and pinned a scrutinizing look on him with catlike green eyes. She didn't seem unfriendly – simply curious – but Victor still found himself intimidated. She seemed like the kind of girl that could easily kick his ass blindfolded if she so pleased, despite her petite stature and admittedly good looks.

"Hello," she said, then resumed looking through the magazine. Victor stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, unsure of whether to reply or not. After a moment's pause, he mumbled a greeting back and started up the staircase. That is, until she suddenly stopped him, "That's where the girls' rooms are. I hope you're not planning to perv on the other girls, or else it's my duty to kick your ass." She flashed him a pleasant smile.

"No! Uhh..I'm sorry, I totally forgot," he said, his face burning up from embarrassment. So he was right. This girl _could _kick his ass, and would gladly do so if she found it justified.

To his surprise, however, she seemed understanding about it. All she did was shake her head at him, silently laughing. "That's okay. As long as you mean no harm by it. And you're not exactly breaking the rules either. You can't go there after 10 PM, though."

_Helpful bit of information. Not that I'll need it, because I'm not a chick magnet at all. I'm more of a chick repellant if anything. _He mentally lamented his inability to get a girlfriend, but didn't let it show on his face. Instead, he smiled at her. "I'm Victor. Nice to meet you...uhh..."

"Myla," she said. "Nice to meet you, too." She didn't say anything else after that. Victor took a look around, then fixed his eyes on a corridor that he figured would most likely lead him to his room. _The advantage to this is that we get a head start for the TV. Hah, this is pretty sweet. _

Upon reaching his room, he checked the time as he tried to open the door. 10:30 AM. That meant he had an hour before the "beginning of the year" assembly. _Why won't the door open? _he thought, frustrated. A second later, he realized why. _Shit! I forgot to register and pick up my keys from the office! Stupid, stupid, stupid...This is not my smartest day, is it? Maybe I need more sleep...That's it. I only got two hours last night..._

He waited there for a moment, hoping a helpful roommate of his would show up and save the day. When that didn't happen, he sighed and rubbed his temple tiredly. He had already accepted a long time ago the fact that luck was never on his side. He returned to the common room, where Myla was now sitting with a boy whose arm was around her small shoulders. Her face was lit up with joy as she talked to him.

_Okay, so she's not an option. Figures. She seems like the kind of girl a lot of guys would like, _Victor mused. He wasn't too disappointed, if at all. Myla was pretty, but he barely knew her.

He exited the dorms and tried to recreate the route that Nate had used in his head. He took whatever turns he could find when that didn't work out as planned. But the more he walked, the more he felt like he was just going around in circles. One time, he ended up at the gymnasium. The next, in front of the dining hall, where the delicious aroma of food tempted him to delay his journey to the office. He had to hold his breath and hurry away just to escape that, his stomach rumbling its annoyance.

He ended up at the gym again, and growled at the same time as his stomach. "Great. I'm hungry, _and _lost. A perfect way to start the year!" He stormed off in another random direction, his trolley suitcase screeching after him. "_And _my suitcase is messed up too!"

He found himself in a strangely familiar hallway lined with classrooms. He realized it was the first one Nate had guided him through. _Yes! Success! _he mentally cheered. He walked towards where he remembered the foyer was, and hurried towards the office. There was a small lineup. It occurred to him that perhaps some students went in earlier to pick up their keys, or maybe the student body itself wasn't all too big. Or a mixture of both.

About ten minutes later, he found himself strolling back in the direction he went, now registered and jingling his shiny new keys. Now, all he had to do was find his way back to the dorms...

He was jolted out of his train of thought when he bumped into someone and dropped his keys. He quickly grabbed them off the ground before the stranger could, and mumbled an apology. He heard a gruff voice say, "Watch where you're going, boy."

"I'm sorry," Victor said, a bit louder. He looked up to see it was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties, tall and broad-shouldered, with square framed glasses perched on his nose and a critical gaze. Victor tried to smile politely at him, but his effort was met with a sneer.

"What grade are you in?" the teacher asked, not even acknowledging the apology.

"Eleventh."

"Great, you're going to be in my class," he said grumpily. "My Science class, to be exact. At least your parents have taught you some manners. The last bugger I ran into...Anyways, I'm Mr. Kayaba, but I expect you to call me Professor."

"Yes, Professor."

"Or maybe Sir," Mr. Kayaba suggested, smirking. He appeared to be a smug guy, one of those stern teachers who condescended his students and scribbled D's on every paper he marked. But Victor felt just a tad judgmental for thinking that, even though it was likely true. If there was one thing he was remotely decent at, it was reading people.

"I really have to go..." he said, starting to back away. "I need to find my way back to my dorm." He didn't exactly _dislike _Kayaba – it was too early for that and he could rarely bring himself to dislike _anyone -_ but he didn't enjoy the man's company either. He tried to remember where he had heard that last name before. All he knew was that it was from an anime. Its name was on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't remember.

He hurried away, and this time he found his way back with less trouble.

* * *

Victor discovered that his roommates had already moved in, but had neglected to unpack or even stick around. He found that depressing; he was really looking forward to meeting them. At the same time, he was relieved. It was a nice delay from having to introduce himself, which he always found to be a bit awkward.

His suitcases had arrived, as expected, with tiny locks on the zippers protecting his stuff from potentially kleptomaniac roommates. He threw his trolley on the stack, but kept his backpack perched on his shoulder and considered where to go next. He noticed during his musings that his roommates had already selected their beds, and depressingly enough, he was on the bunk. At the top.

"It wouldn't be that bad if I weren't scared of heights," he said out loud. "A fall from that would be _painful." _His roommate must've had a similar train of thought, because people normally _loved _the idea of having the top bunk to themselves. At least, as far as he knew.

He left the room, making sure to lock it after him, and decided that now was a good time to drop by the dining hall. He still had about half an hour before the assembly started. He took out his flip phone – which was so old-fashioned he suddenly felt self-conscious about what those rich kids would think – and got out Nate's number. A long moment of hesitation followed.

Victor was a reserved person and didn't mind being alone most of the time, but right now, he longed for _someone _to be by his side, someone who could relate to him, who he could confide his unsure feelings to and get through this first day of hell with. Preferably a cute girl, but Nate was all he had right now. _If only, _he thought wistfully.

But Nate wasn't a new kid. Nate had been here since freshman year and would likely have a close circle of friends to hang out with by now. That display of friendship he'd shown Victor was out of pity, that's one thing he was sure of.

Here, Victor felt out of place. Lonely. Most of the new kids would be freshmen, and they'd have an easier time adjusting just because all of their classmates could _relate. _He was a junior and a socially awkward one at that. How could someone like him truly belong here? He wasn't even rich like the majority of the students attending.

"Ah, what do we have here? Do you even know where you're going, young man?" Victor froze. A deep, rumbling voice spoke just by his ear, a putrid breath invading his nose. He shuddered, as if the temperature had dropped several degrees right in that moment. When he tried to turn to face the mysterious speaker, a hand clasped over his eyes and a strong grip curled around his hands, clasping them behind him. All he could do was struggle, to no avail. "People like you, you're the _easy _targets. The ones who get so lost in thought, they lose awareness of their surroundings. It appears you've wandered to an empty hallway, which you obviously didn't notice. Do you even realize how _stupid _you are? Pathetic. But...It just makes everything easier for me."

"Who...who are you?" His eyes were unveiled for a brief, startling moment. Then a blindfold closed in around them. His hands were bound with something that felt like rope. "What-"

"Damn, I need to be more careful." His assailant laughed. "If you were a girl, you would've screamed. If you were a girl, someone could have saved you. But instead you wasted your breath on meaningless questions." Literally seconds before he could do just as the man had said, he heard the _rip! _of duct tape as it was sealed around his mouth. He took several deep breaths through his nose, remembering that he _needed _to live and that suffocating now was not an option.

_Getting kidnapped is not what I signed up for when I accepted that damn offer to attend this fucking school! _Victor felt a surge of rage, and if he could see, his vision would be clouded by a blood red. The blood of his assailant. He wanted nothing more than to show this asshole a piece of his mind, but in this position, he was helpless.

"Well, I hardly knew ya," the man said. Victor imagined a face cast in shadow, with only a wide slasher smile visible. He slumped, knowing he was going to die – if not in this very moment, then _soon. _His anger continued to simmer, though. No matter how sobering that fact was, he didn't want to give up just yet. "Hope you have a fun time with the Shadows."

_Shadows? What shadows-_

Victor was shoved forward then. He was on the first storey and a fall from a window wouldn't feel like _this. _He wanted to scream, but it was muffled by the duct tape. He was in a free fall through what felt like nothingness. Not even a slight wind stirring his hair. Nothing. Just a ground he couldn't see rushing up to greet him. A ground that he didn't meet until what felt like hours later.

He lay there, winded. Not knowing what to do. He was in pain, immeasurable pain, too much for all this to be just a dream. He curled into himself, wanting everything to just end right now if that meant escaping from it all. He imagined many long, ugly gashes crawling up his face, gravel stuck under his skin. Tears in his clothes, bloodstains. Bruises, so many bruises everywhere. "I...have...to...live..." he wheezed, but it came out as gibberish. How would he go about that? Living...It seemed impossible right now. He was blindfolded, gagged and bound. If he didn't die of injuries, he'd die of dehydration.

_Or getting preyed on by Shadows, _he thought. _Whatever those are. Sounds ominous, though..._

His consciousness slipped out of his grasp. For who knows how long, he passed in and out, painfully aware of the eerie silence and lack of "Shadows". Something small landed on him sometime after he regained consciousness again, crawling over his face. He wondered what it was, but was in no position to find out. It simply stayed there, keeping him company. He almost thought it was watching over him and protecting him from whatever lurked here, but dismissed that as a silly idea.

"You really do put the 'fool' in 'Fool'," said a voice much later, followed by the owner's amused chuckle. For a moment, he thought it was his kidnapper, until he realized it belonged to a female. His blindfold and gag fell away, and he winced at the light that entered his blurry vision. It took a moment for it to focus, but when it did, his savior was revealed to be a pretty young woman, her white hair falling a little past her ears and her golden eyes inquisitive and playful.

"Is this heaven?" he said. Cheesy as it was, she looked almost like an angel. Especially when she placed her hand over his heart and a golden light began to radiate from it. He squeezed his eyes shut to protect them from the sheer _radiance. _It was almost blinding. Despite that, it energized him. He imagined his cuts closing up, with no indication of scarring. That's how it was in the videogames, right? His breathing and heartbeat became regular again. Lying on the ground like this felt almost relaxing, rather than excruciatingly painful.

"Heaven? The human afterlife, where the ones who _don't_ commit terrible sins go?" the woman mused, tapping her chin in thought. "No. I hear heaven is beautiful. Quite a delightful place to be. This place doesn't even resemble hell. No fire _or_ brimstone." She giggled.

She was right. Flickering torches on the walls dimly lit...wherever he was. It appeared to be a deserted battleground, minus any dead bodies. Instead, half buried shields and weapons littered the ground, and looming walls decorated with war banners closed him off from any sunlight or nature; there was just the beginning of a corridor on the far end opposite him. The lack of life, or even signs of previous life, was disturbing to him. It was such a contrast from the academy, where there were so many _people _and a vibrant atmosphere – something he didn't even realize he appreciated until it was gone.

"Where am I then?" He lifted himself upright into a sitting position. "And...who are you?"

"Who am I? Elizabeth. I am a resident of the Velvet Room," she said. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. And you are?"

"Victor..."

"Well, Victor, we appear to be in a dungeon, located somewhere within the human mind. The Virgo Dungeon," Elizabeth said. "It's a good thing you were transported into a Shadowless floor. I took care of the Reaper, so everything is just fine and dandy."

"The Reaper...?" Victor mumbled. "Shadows? I'm so lost right now."

"Well, you're alive and that's what matters," Elizabeth said, sounding incredibly happy. Her smile faded in mere seconds, however, as if something terrible had suddenly occurred to her. Her voice took on a more urgent tone. "But...Something is about to happen. And when it does, I want you to be calm and reasonable about it. Repeat after me. 'You are me'."

"But you're-"

"Say. It."

"...You are me," Victor said reluctantly.

"Good. Now I want you to say that again when the situation calls for it." She rose. "That butterfly...Did you see it?"

He blinked. "What butterfly?"

She sighed. "Of course you didn't. You were blindfolded...But I saw it. It appeared to be watching over you...Protecting you from your Shadow until I got here. But...I don't sense that...ability. You don't appear to have it."

_Gah! This is all so confusing!_

"Well, have fun," she said, beaming. "I'll just stand here on the sidelines until I have no choice but to intervene. This is something _you _have to face on your own." She adjusted her dress and sat down on what appeared to be a raised platform, wiggling her fingers at him in a flirty wave.

"Wait! What _exactly _is going on here?" Victor demanded. "I have so many questions and your answers are just even more _confusing!" _

"With unusual occurrences like this, that's to be expected," was all Elizabeth said, before pointing at something behind him. "Now, I suggest you focus your attention on...well, you."

Victor followed her gaze and finger, to a figure that emerged from the shadows. Literally. The shadows cast by the torches came alive in that moment, mutating into a form that resembled a human. Glowing golden eyes opened. An evil smile lit his face in an eerie way, only amplified by the flickering firelight casting a red glow upon him.

"Oh god, _no," _Victor said, horrified. "You...look like...me..." It was like looking into a mirror, except finding your evil twin inside instead of yourself. The golden-eyed man was almost an exact replica of him; the same smooth caramel skin, scruffy black hair, even the same _outfit. _But those eyes...They were so vastly different from his – his were hazel, but that wasn't the problem. His "evil twin" possessed a soulless gaze, one lacking the kindness in his, or even any humanity to begin with.

"I _am _you."

_Shit._

"Accept it...or die," Elizabeth said from behind him.

**To be continued...**


	2. Awaken, Gelos!

**Chapter 2**

**-Time Unknown, Virgo Dungeon, First Floor—**

"I am the Shadow...the true self..." the Victor lookalike declared. "I am born from your deepest insecurities...Honestly, it's embarrassing to be 'you'. You're pathetic even by human standards." He advanced, hands clasped behind his back, smirk never wavering – it widened, if anything, revealing many shark-like teeth. "There's no use trying to escape...If you even try, I will kill you. And I will enjoy it. You know what will happen if I kill you?"

"W-What?" Victor said. His throat felt terribly dry and constricted, and his voice was more like a rasp as he tried and failed to speak past it.

"I will take your place in the world. Your loved ones? They'll notice something's wrong with you...something _sinister. _They will begin to fear you. Hate you," the Shadow said. "But I suppose it doesn't really matter. They never even loved you to begin with, so why should it? You could die, and they wouldn't give a shit."

Victor remained quiet.

"You don't even have _friends,_"Shadow Victor continued. He released a loud, derisive laugh. "You can't voice your opinions or thoughts, or stick up for yourself. And when you do, you just make yourself seem like an idiot. A loser. No one wants to be friends with someone like you. The few 'friends' you do have, can you really call them friends? They stick around out of pity, to make themselves feel better knowing they make _you _feel better. They think it's kindness. I call it pathetic. Just like you. In reality, you're just a burden to them. You want to know what's going on back home while you're at this stupid boarding school? Your friends and family are _celebrating. _Especially your father, knowing his failure of a son isn't there to screw everything up."

"Fight it," Elizabeth urged. Victor clenched his fists, refusing to just give up and crumble under the verbal assault.

"'Oh woe is me, woe is me,'" the Shadow said in a mockingly sad voice. He faked rubbing tears away from his eyes. "'Nothing ever goes right for poor little old me. No matter how hard I try at anything, I'll never be good enough for anyone. That's why my daddy doesn't love me, why I have daddy issues. I should just stop trying. I should just shrivel up and die. The world would be a better place without me around.'"

Victor almost laughed at the ridiculously high-pitched voice. He took a deep breath, trying to think rationally. If he tried to escape, his Shadow would kill him. Maybe the world _would_ be a better place without him; despite that, he _wanted _to live. Even when things went terribly wrong, there were still the little things to enjoy as well as the hope for a brighter future and he refused to give up right now.

_I already won half the battle, _he thought. _My Shadow wants me dead. I'm not going to die._

"All you are is annoying! With your constant whining and your pity parties, it's no wonder you're such a burden to everyone! _That's why_ _no one loves you!" _Shadow Victor shouted. Now was the chance the real Victor had been waiting for.

"No one loves me?" he said quietly, trying to muster up all the courage he had. It didn't amount to much, but it would do. He cleared his throat, raising his voice so he could be heard more clearly, "You think the world would be a better place without me? Fine, then kill me."

"No!" Elizabeth said, getting to her feet. "What are you _doing?_"

Shadow Victor grinned, pulling out a rapier from seemingly nowhere. "Gladly."

Victor shook his head and held out a hand, palm facing his lookalike. _Stop. _"Hear me out first. I heard you out, so it's only fair." To his surprise, it worked. The Shadow obeyed. "You're all talk. The time you used rambling about how much of a failure I am, could have been used to kill me instead. The fact that you obeyed me only supports my theory...You really _are _me. And if there's one thing that binds us together, it's that we don't like the idea of dying. Something is stopping you from killing me immediately...the part of you that's really me." He paused, considering his next words. He was reminded of his kidnapper's words before he was thrown into the dungeon. "You wasted your breath on meaningless ramblings. Thanks for the reminders, but I already know that I suck. I don't need an ass like you to rub it in my face, especially with something that I know of and accept as..._me. _I want to change. I _will _change, eventually. And harsh as you were, you've taught me that it's something I need to do. So thank you for _that_, at least."

The glow of Shadow Victor's eyes faded, and his taunting smirk was replaced by a more serene smile resembling Victor's own. The rapier fell to the ground with a clatter. He gave a nod in his real counterpart's direction, just before he was enveloped in a radiant white light. His form mutated again.

Victor watched in awe as his shadow self transformed into a slim man in vivid red and yellow jester's clothing, a jester's hat with a similar colour scheme and jingling bells resting on his head. A white comedy mask, permanently smiling, covered his face. He held out one hand – adorned with a spike knuckle duster – towards Victor, waiting expectantly. Victor reluctantly placed his hand on top, carefully avoiding the blade.

"I am thou...Thou art I," the jester spoke, in a voice that was a deeper version than Victor's. "From the sea of thy soul, I come...I am Gelos, the Royal Jester." A card appeared in front of him, depicting the silhouette of a man with a stick over his shoulder, accompanied by a dog. Underneath was the number zero. Seconds after this, Gelos - and the card - simply faded. Victor dropped to his knees, exhaling a breath of relief.

"That was amazing!" Elizabeth said, approaching him with a wide smile. "Challenging your Shadow to kill you was stupid, but also very brave. As was standing up to him. You'll make a wonderful leader." She offered him one gloved hand and he took it gratefully, allowing her to haul him up to his feet with a surprising amount of strength.

"Leader? Leader for what?" Victor said. "And no confusing answers this time."

Elizabeth sighed. "Let's get back first. The last thing we want to do is stick around in a place like this. Dungeons are...strange. And anyways, it's a long story that you'll want to sit down for."

* * *

**-Lunchtime, Ile de Richard Collegiate Institute-**

The real world was a welcome relief to Victor, who – if it weren't for the fact that he wanted to keep his dignity– would have kissed the ground he walked on over and over again. It was strange, the way they had returned. Elizabeth had suddenly grabbed his hand, told him to close his eyes and in a flash of light, they were out; back at the academy, in a thankfully empty room where no one could gape at them over their sudden arrival.

"This is my private office," Elizabeth said. "In case you didn't know, I'm the librarian here. Now, follow me." She led him out the door, into a – for the most part – empty library. There were a few seniors loudly laughing at a table, who Elizabeth shot a stern look. She pressed a finger to her lips, emitting a just as loud "Shhhh!" and they shut up without even a word. "That's what librarians do, right?"

Victor nodded, suppressing his own laugh by faking a cough into his fist. He followed her to another, much smaller room, with a table taking up most of its space; he could see it through the little window in the door. She unlocked it and beckoned him in, before shutting it behind them. "What's this room for?"

"It's a seminar room," she said. "It's where students go to study in groups, or practice a presentation, or anything else that'll probably make a lot of noise. It's mostly soundproof, but not 100%, so as long as we don't shout, no one should hear us, let alone disturb us. Please, sit."

Victor complied without protest. Instead of engaging in small talk, he decided to launch right into his questions, "So...Tell me everything. I know what a dungeon is, but why did I end up in the Virgo dungeon? And what exactly is up with it?"

"I'm not sure about _that," _said Elizabeth. "I don't know everything either. You were kidnapped, right?" Victor grunted his affirmative, the topic still a sore point for him. She continued, "I don't know why, or who did it. The Virgo Dungeon, however, is part of a dimension that my siblings and I call the 'Seiza Jigen'. That translates into the 'Constellation Dimension'. We don't know much about the nature of the Virgo dungeon as it only popped up recently, but due to the name and the powerful presences within being based on constellations, we assume that a new dungeon is unlocked once a month."

He took several moments to process all this information and put it together in his head. Constellations, a new dungeon being unlocked once a month, and Virgo. They all seemed like separate pieces of information to him at first, but then it all came together on its own. Zodiacs. "So it's a dimension based on zodiacs?" he said.

"That's the most plausible explanation, yes," Elizabeth said. "But we're going to have to wait to find out, I suppose."

"Next. What are Shadows?"

"They're born from the negative emotions of humans," she said. "So no matter how many times you kill them, they will never truly die. They will respawn after a period of time. Shadow selves, like Shadow Victor, however...Those Shadows are different. They're twisted mirror images of the individual they represent. Shadow Victor was _you._ He was born from _your _deepest insecurities. When you faced him and accepted that he was a part of you, he transformed into your Persona. Now you're going to ask what that is."

Victor nodded.

"Your Persona is Gelos of the Fool Arcana. He's a manifestation of your inner psyche. When you accepted Shadow Victor, you tamed your negative feelings and allowed Gelos to awaken," Elizabeth said. "Following?"

"Sort of..."Victor said. "Sounds like something out of a videogame."

Her eyes clouded in confusion at the mention of 'videogames', as if she was unfamiliar even with the basic meaning. Considering her oddities, this seemed likely. She shook her head and continued her explanation, "Personas are superpowered entities, and their abilities vary from Persona user to Persona user, as do their weaknesses. Gelos, for example, specializes in Bufu – ice- skills and is weak to Agi – fire – skills. They can be used to fight Shadows. In time, you will learn how to summon him. It will be like instinct for you."

"So I'm supposed to fight these Shadows?" Victor surmised.

"Yes. From now on, it will be your duty to clear these dungeons, defeat the constellation bosses and most importantly, figure out who kidnapped you. That may be the key to finding out the true nature of your quest. There will be more people like you – more people with the ability to summon Personas – and they will awaken to their Personas in time. Once we build a solid team, it's up to you as the very first member to guide them as their leader," Elizabeth said. She rose, dusting off her skirt. "I think that's enough for now. I can't tell you _too _much. Mostly because I don't know much else myself."

"One last thing,' he said. "You said you were a resident of the Velvet Room. What's that?"

"A room located between the conscious and unconscious mind, only accessible to those who possess a high sense of spirituality. It's currently a disaster and there's no use for it now, especially without a new Wild Card in need of it – a Wild Card is someone who can summon multiple Personas, by the way. Our...master died. He was killed, probably by whoever's behind all this." Elizabeth tried to smile, but it faltered and then just dropped altogether. "My siblings and I are hoping to avenge him."

"Oh...I'm sorry..." Victor said, then mentally facepalmed. He was no good at consoling others – not when it came to real grief like this – and his words may have came off as condescending and insincere. Elizabeth didn't seem to notice, though. She tilted her head at him in confusion.

"Why are you apologizing if it's not your fault?" she said, eyes narrowing. She slammed her hands against the table, then pointed her index finger at him accusingly. "Unless...unless you're Master Igor's murderer?!"

"What? No! Do I look like a murderer?!"

Elizabeth sighed, sitting back down. "I apologize. Of course you're not. You're not a Wild Card, nor a resident of the Velvet Room. There's no way you could have access to it. And there's no way Master Igor would fall by the hands of an inexperienced Persona user like you. But...that little display _was _amusing." She giggled.

"Yeah...amusing," he said, slumping into his chair. First getting kidnapped by a guy who was in serious need of a tic-tac, then facing his evil twin and now being accused of _murder_? Today _really _was not his day. He was starting to regret his decision to attend Richard's. "Anyway...If that's all..."

Elizabeth nodded. "The assembly should be over by now, so head back to your dorm or explore or find out where your classes are. They start tomorrow, and the teachers expect you to be on time. Oh, and starting tomorrow, meet me right after classes are done for dungeon exploration. I'll make the preparations today."

* * *

Victor returned to his dorm, his head spinning with the overload of information Elizabeth had dumped into his head. Shadows, Personas, Seiza Jigen, the Velvet Room...It was a wonder he was able to remember any of it. He thought of Gelos, the permanently smiling comedy mask, the spiked knuckle dusters. It was the kind of character straight out of a videogame. This whole situation was.

He decided to shove it all into the back of his mind for now. Dungeon crawling was for tomorrow. Today, he was going to relax, hopefully indulge in tons of fattening food and rely on his lightning fast metabolism to burn them away for him. The second he got into his room, he was going to take a nice, long nap...

Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that doing so was almost impossible. Music was blasting from behind his door, hardcore rock turned up to maximum volume. He almost turned back, but decided he might as well meet his roommates now to just get it over with. Bracing himself, he unlocked the door and just before he entered, took a deep breath. Then he pushed it open.

"So you're our new roommate," said one of the boys in disgust, a brunet with a critical light brown gaze and tanned skin. He was lying on his bed, absently rubbing the silver chain around his neck between his thumb and index finger. "I'm Nikkos Cosse, but I'd rather you just call me Cosse. Calling me by my first name is just so...informal. I'd rather not associate with..._poor _people like you."

The other guy – the one who had stolen Victor's bottom bunk – just looked at him with icy blue eyes. Just looked, completely silent, his expression unreadable. Most people had a tell of some kind – an indication, no matter how small, of how they were feeling – but him...his face was completely blank. He had mastered the poker face. Victor immediately looked away, a little spooked.

"That's Simon Scott," Nikkos said. "He doesn't talk, or even smile. So, who are you?"

"Victor...Victor Lage."

"Can you play?"

"Pardon?" Victor blinked.

Nikkos sighed as if he was dealing with the biggest idiot on Earth. "Can you play any instruments?" he clarified.

"Yeah...I can. I'm a hella rusty on 'em, though..." Victor trailed off. Simon looked to Nikkos.

"Yeah, you're right, Simon! There's no way _this _guy can replace Jacob!" Nikkos said, shaking his head with a derisive laugh. "He doesn't have the good looks, the oozing charisma, or even the playing ability. If only Jacob were still here...We can't function as a band without him, man."

_So they're wannabe rock stars, _Victor thought. _Great. So much for my nap. Maybe I'll take one in the common rooms instead...Oh wait, all the sofas are taken up by those gossiping girls. Damn it..._

"Anyways, it was nice meeting you...Cosse. Simon," he said. "But I think I'm going to...go now." Nikkos and Simon didn't respond or even acknowledge him. They just went back to whatever they were doing before he came in; the former flipping through a magazine, the latter strumming his bass.

Victor hurriedly left the room, deciding to check out the dining hall instead of taking that nap, regardless of how much he was in need of one. He counted the money in his wallet; he had just enough for two days worth of very cheap meals. He had a feeling the food here wasn't going to be so cheap, and wondered what fast food places were nearby. During his musings, it didn't occur to him until minutes later that there was a small commotion in the hallway he was in now.

There were three guys in a circle, one of them – tall and lean –looking to the side guiltily as if he didn't want to be a part of this. The other two, however – one of them dark-skinned and large in girth, and the apparent leader in all his haughty glory, with his fauxhawk and immaculate getup – seemed to be enjoying themselves. Victor noticed they were around a small girl – likely a freshman - who was scrambling frantically for her scattered things, tears in her eyes.

_Should I stop them? _

Victor winced in sympathy when the guy with the fauxhawk stepped on her hand. She cursed, glaring up at him then with such hatred in her tearful gaze that if looks could kill, his death would be a bloody, gruesome one, the kind you'd see in a horror movie, with his eyes gouged out and his body mangled. The girl rose, a heavy looking book bag clenched tightly in her hand. Victor thought she would bash the asshole in the head with it and she really seemed to consider it for a moment.

Then she decided against it and stepped to the side. He wondered what she was going to do and moments later, he found out.

Before fauxhawk guy could even react, she drove her knee into his groin hard. He keeled over, clutching his damaged parts and wheezing out threats in between trying to handle the excruciating pain. She didn't even offer him a second glance, pushing past the tall guy - who was staring after her sadly – and the fat guy, who was helping his leader to his feet.

The girl wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, and forced a smile in Victor's direction when she noticed him looking at her, which faded just as quickly as she averted her gaze. Before she could pass him, he said, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," was all she said, not turning around or stopping. Him being as compassionate as he was, he couldn't just let her walk away like that – even though he didn't know her, he felt terrible for having hesitated when he could have helped her out, not to mention God knows what she would do to herself if she didn't talk to someone about it. By her sudden transition from tears into violence, he could only think that the glimpse he saw of what happened was probably the best of it – as well as the straw that broke the camel's back.

_Or she's just really that violent. _

"Those guys...What were they...?" he started. She stopped then, the blazing fire in her eyes still not out. He paused, not wanting to get kneed in the groin like the other guy.

"Is that even any of your business?" she demanded, arms akimbo. Despite her fierce tone, her voice was naturally quiet and he had to strain a little to hear her properly. "I said I'm fine. I don't need your help, or your pity. I don't even _know _you. Look, it's nice of you to be worried but there's nothing you can do to help. That kind of shit happens here _all _the time. Everyone gets away with everything, because we're all just a bunch of rich brats. Got that? Good."

"I'm sorry," Victor said hastily. "I didn't want to impose. It's just...I could have helped you but I didn't..."

"That's how things work here. You're probably new, that's why you don't know," she said. "You don't defend anyone except yourself and _maybe _your close friends, and even then that's iffy. If you try to play hero here, you'll just get screwed over by some snob with a hurt ego. You'd do well to remember that." She withdrew something from her book bag, a small brown paper bag with 'Kim Mortons' scrawled on it in red. "If I give you these cookies, will you leave me alone? I don't want them anyway. I'm trying to watch my weight."

The girl tossed him the brown bag, which he clumsily caught mid-air and almost dropped. She walked him past him without sparing him another glance.

"Well...I'd kill for a steak right now, but cookies are great, too," he said under his breath, withdrawing one of the chocolate chip cookies from the bag. He noticed the tall guy from earlier now standing alone, hands shoved into his pockets and eyes downcast. Victor considered for a moment talking to him, but decided against it. The girl had been right. What had happened was truly none of his business.

Victor shrugged and continued down the hallway, chewing on his cookie. It was delicious, appealing to his massive sweet tooth. He needed something a little more filling, though, so with that in mind, he continued his quest to the dining hall.

Further down the hallway, a girl was sitting alone, concentrating on the deck of her cards in her hand. She noticed him out of the periphery of her vision and lifted her head to fix him with her playful green eyes. A grin spread across her face as she waved him over, calling out, "Hey! You! Get over here!"

Victor reluctantly approached her, knowing he was about to be dragged into being her unwilling "participant". There was no way he could just tell her no. He was too timid for that and how could he when it came to cute girls like her?

"You're going to be my audience, okay?" she said. "I'm Marissa Santos, Ace Magician!"

He wanted to introduce himself in a similar manner, but couldn't think of _anything _that he was an 'ace' at, so he settled for simply telling her his name.

She dismissed it with a wave of her hand, as if she really couldn't care less, which she probably didn't. She took out a quarter from her pocket and held it between her thumb and index finger, sweeping her other hand over the coin and seeming to grab it. That's where she screwed up. Instead of dropping the coin into the palm of the hand holding it like she was supposed to, it clattered onto the ground. She gasped, her face reddening in embarrassment.

"Your reflexes need to be quicker than that," Victor stated, unimpressed. "Here, let me try." He redid the trick with much smoother movements, and she glared at him, simmering, as he 'pulled' the coin out of her ear.

"Jerk!" she yelled. "Thanks for raining on my parade!"

Victor offered her a sheepish smile, as well as his other cookie. She snatched it from him, shooting him a venomous look that sent him backing away a few steps. He thought he saw it soften for a moment as she looked down at the peace offering, before she rose with a huff and stormed off around the corner.

_Thou art I...And I am thou... _

Victor stiffened as Gelos's voice resonated in his head.

_Thou hast established a new bond of the Magician Arcana. _

"Magician? I thought I was Fool...Damn it, Elizabeth. You never mentioned anything about this," he grumbled, making a note to have a serious discussion with her during their meeting tomorrow.

* * *

**-Afternoon: Tuesday, September 9, 2014-**

Classes started as normal the next day.

Victor's homeroom teacher was, unfortunately, Mr. Kayaba, who was just as strict as he expected. The man had already given them a five page package worth of Biology homework, double sided, and had shushed the class's collective groan with a threat to add more to the pile. Victor wasn't thrilled, but thankfully, his other three classes of the day – English, Math and Computer Science – proceeded a bit faster and with little to no homework.

As promised, he visited Elizabeth in the library after class, who led him out and down the hallway into the office.

"What're we here for?" Victor asked.

"You'll see."

After a quick discussion with the secretary, Elizabeth beckoned for him to follow her into what he assumed was the principal's office. _Why here? I've been a good kid, staying out of trouble... _he thought.

"Welcome," said a rather beautiful young woman, who possessed the same golden eyes as Elizabeth. While Elizabeth's were playful, however, this woman – who he assumed to be the principal, Margaret – had a stern gaze that suggested that she didn't mind punishing any out of control students. Which begged the question on why that angry little freshman from earlier had such a bitter outlook on the school's environment. "I'm Margaret, Elizabeth's elder sister and the principal of Ile de Richard Collegiate Institute. You are the one who has awakened to their Persona, correct? Victor Lage."

"Yes," Victor said. Elizabeth beckoned him to sit, which he did.

"Good." Margaret smiled politely as she picked up something from the ground, at first hidden from his sight by her desk. She placed the glinting object primly in front of him, and his eyes widened. It was one of his rapiers from back home, from the Renaissance fair that his father had once worked at. "Does this look familiar?"

"My rapier..."

"You're going to need a weapon to fight the Shadows as well," Elizabeth informed him. "Your Persona can only do so much of the fighting before it runs out of the energy to do so."

"Like MP in videogames," Victor said. "This should be...interesting. But how did you manage to get your hands on this?"

"We have our ways," Elizabeth said cheerfully. "Margaret originally wasn't the principal here, nor was I the librarian. We used our...connections, I guess you can say, to-"

"Enough, Elizabeth," Margaret interrupted. She rose from her desk, hands clasped behind her back, and walked over to a innocuous looking door. Victor followed her. "This door leads to Seiza Jigen. I want you to get to floor ten if you can. Every day, you will train here until you are at a sufficient level to take on the guardian of that very floor. Elizabeth will be your guide."

"And after that?"

"After that...Well, after that, you should have a new teammate." She unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing a vortex of swirling shades of blues. "We will discuss that after you return. Please, go in. And take care."

He took a deep breath, hooking his rapier's scabbard to his belt and sheathing it. _Ready, Gelos? _

The jester didn't reply, but Victor felt his presence in his mind regardless, waiting. More than ready.

Victor stepped into the vortex.

He emerged, minutes later, in the deserted battleground of the Virgo dungeon.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**AN: **Welcome to chapter 2 of RoF! Things begin to pick up a little in this chapter, but not by much. :( Unfortunately, I have to establish a lot of stuff before we get to the REAL good stuff (which is why I hate beginnings) DX Please bear with me until then.

Anyways, regarding Gelos: he is the Greek personification of laughter. That's why he's a jester. XD But I find his Final Persona cooler~ (too bad you guys don't know who it is)

UPDATE: I edited chapter 2 a bit after a discussion with my friends. So yeah. Those of you who got to it quicker, bravo. You've been spoiled. XD But it's hardly the biggest spoiler in the story~


	3. Potential Persona Users

**- Virgo Dungeon, First Floor—**

"We will go up five floors today. That should be enough to sufficiently level you up for now," a voice said from behind him. Victor jumped, startled, his hand automatically curling around the hilt of his rapier, but relaxed when he realized it was just Elizabeth.

"You're coming with me?"

She nodded. "You're too inexperienced to go in alone, especially since your future teammates haven't awakened to their Personas yet. Would you like to discuss some more while we scout out Shadows?"

"I have a question, Elizabeth," Victor said. "Yesterday, I met this girl named Marissa..."

"Alas, I am no good with providing advice on 'dating'," Elizabeth said, shaking her head sadly. "I was never allowed to, you see. Besides, I don't see how that has to do with anything..."

"No, that's _not _the point!" he protested, face reddening. "It's just that...Well, long story short, I gave her a cookie as a peace offering after pissing her off, and then Gelos just says something like," he imitated Gelos's voice as best as he could, "'I am thou...And thou art I...Thou hast created a new bond of the Magician Arcana.'"

Elizabeth stopped walking at this. She turned to him, golden eyes wide.

"That _can't _be..." she whispered. "You're not a Wild Card! That shouldn't happen..."

"Elizabeth?"

"What Gelos is telling you, is that you've initiated a Social Link with the Marissa girl," she said, sighing. "Only Wild Cards are able to create these bonds, however...This is very strange, indeed. I will have to talk to Margaret and Theo about this. But...may I suggest something? Talk to Marissa more often. Try to nurture your bond with her. It may prove useful."

_Nurture my bond with her...? She's a bit of a brat, but I suppose if Elizabeth is suggesting it, then I should go along with it. It's not like I had any choice in whether or not I wanted to go along with this whole 'Persona' thing in the first place, so I should do whatever may be beneficial for me, _he thought. _But I almost feel like I'll be using Marissa for my own gain. It feels cruel._

"In any case, you're taking this all very well," Elizabeth said as they resumed their journey through the first floor, taking a turn into a long corridor. There wasn't much in the way of width, however, and they had to go through single file. Victor felt as if the walls would close in on him, trapping him between them and crushing him to death. It didn't help that he had to duck under the occasional hilt of a protruding sword. She didn't seem to notice his anxiety, and continued on, "You're very accepting of everything that's happened so far, even the kidnapping and Shadow Victor. You're taking it in stride."

"It's like a videogame," he said, shrugging. "Videogames are fun, so this should be fun. I admit I wasn't too thrilled about all that happened yesterday, but it's good experience, I guess. I'll look back on this someday and laugh."

"Allow me to postpone this discussion, delightful as it is." Elizabeth pointed at a blob of concentrated shadows, dragging itself along on its long, clawed hands. A pair of red eyes was all that was visible in the sheer blackness of its mass. "Don't be fooled by its innocuous appearance. That's its docile form."

_Innocuous? Sure, it's not particularly scary but it's still a little creepy. Definitely not someone I'd want to hang out with..._

"Take out your rapier and thrust," she said. "That won't kill it. On the contrary, engaging in battle is what activates its true form, whether you're attacking it or vice versa. You'll want to get in the first hit, though. It allows you an extra turn."

"I know how it works," Victor said, drawing his rapier. "I play a lot of games like these. Trust me, I know." He snuck up on the Shadow from behind, careful not to draw its attention, and thrust forward, the blade digging deep into its shadowy mass. Victor pulled it out, a burst of ichor flying out in droplets. He brushed them off himself in mild disgust.

A blue mask was the only difference between its two forms. It was a lot smaller and less intimidating than the aggressive, eight foot tall monster with spittle flying from its maw that he had conjured up in his head, but he supposed that was to be expected of the first floor of the first dungeon.

"As much as I'd love to let your masculine ego be your undoing," Elizabeth said with a smirk. "You don't actually know everything. I still have a lot to teach you, as I don't think thrusting your rapier this way and that will suffice in later battles. This is a Cowardly Maya, so it's weak. Just finish it off and I will show you how to summon your Persona."

She was right about it being weak at least. With Victor's fencing experience, fluid footwork and timely, rapid thrusts, the Shadow went down in less than five hits, dealing little damage in return. It was such an anticlimactic battle that he was itching to gain enough experience to hold his own against more powerful adversaries.

"So how do I summon Gelos?" he said, brushing off her comment. He had to admit it _did _get under his skin a little, but now was not the time to pick a fight with her.

"With runes. Specifically, Nordic runes," Elizabeth explained. "It's an old method of summoning that, with a good memory, is quite easy to master. Master Igor apparently used it back in the days." She opened up her book, flipping to a page that she appeared to select at random. "The Fool Arcana aligns with the rune Mannaz. Draw two parallel, vertical lines in the air, and connect them at the top with mirror image equilateral triangles, rotated to ninety degrees...Here, I'll just show you. I want you to replicate it as best as you can."

"With just my finger?" Victor said skeptically. "That's supposed to summon my Persona?"

Elizabeth nodded, holding up the page for him to see. A depiction of the Mannaz rune in seemingly fresh ink was all that was on it, and it took up the majority of the space. Victor held up his finger, hesitating, wondering if any mistakes he made had any consequences. When he voiced his concerns, however, Elizabeth shook her head.

"There aren't any," she said. "Once you start the rune, you will begin to see its outline in the air. If you mess up, it will simply disappear. Now, initiate a battle with that Shadow over there." He did, and two Cowardly Mayas split up from the original docile form.

A little more at ease, Victor followed through with the rune. As he traced it in the air, golden sparks trailed after his finger as if it was a sparkler. Gelos's form appeared, at first hazy and translucent, but solidifying the closer he got to finishing the rune. However, it went out altogether when one of the Cowardly Mayas slammed into Victor.

"You have to be quicker than that!" Elizabeth said. "Like so." Her finger sped through the air in a formation that was much like the Mannaz rune, but without the parallel lines. "Thanatos!" Behind her, her Persona began to materialize, and Victor got a very brief glimpse of a sword and strange wing-like projections before she snapped her fingers and it flickered out of existence.

In his distraction, the Cowardly Mayas rushed him at once, and he just barely managed to leap backwards, allowing enough distance between them to thrust his rapier forward. When he missed, he fell to the ground, stunned. Elizabeth stood on the sidelines, watching him get pummelled before he finally managed to return to his feet, grunting from the effort. He was quicker this time with his finger movements, creating his Mannaz rune with a shout of, "Persona!"

Gelos appeared, waiting for a command.

"Your Persona's skillset is Bash, Bufu and Rakukaja," Elizabeth said. "Rakukaja boosts an ally's defense, Bufu is the weakest ice skill available. Both will drain your spiritual power, AKA the energy fueling the spells. See the rune now imprinted on your wrist?"

He looked down at his wrist, where – sure enough – the Mannaz rune was now emblazoned, shining a radiant gold.

"The light will begin to fade as you use up your SP, so you need to monitor that," she said. "Now select a target and use Bufu! Quickly!"

"Bufu!" Victor shouted, pointing at one of the Cowardly Maya. Gelos held out one duster clad hand, icy energy gathering, floating above his palm. He launched it in the direction of his target, and it exploded in a burst of snow and ice shards upon contact. Gelos faded after that, and Victor charged, finishing it off with his rapier. He examined his wrist, noticing that a sliver of the top of the rune was no longer glowing.

"Now, Bash is a physical move so it will drain some of your stamina. You will feel a bit tired afterwards, but not enough for it to affect your performance in battle unless you keep abusing it without a healer," she said. "Try it!"

He drew the rune again. "Bash!"

Gelos appeared, slamming into the Maya with his fist. It squealed in pain, rushing to attack Victor, who thrust his weapon forward, spearing it. He just barely managed to avoid the drizzle of ichor. "Gruesome," he commented, leaning on the hilt of his rapier. She hadn't been kidding when she had said that it was a little tiring. Despite that, he felt a surge of strength, energizing him, like the euphoric feeling amidst the pain after completing a run. If he were in a videogame, was this the point where he levelled up? "Not to mention _awesome. _I never thought I'd experience something like this in _real life."_

"Well now you know the basics," Elizabeth said cheerily. "Let us proceed. If you need any healing, just let me know."

The rest of the dungeon proceeded much like in the videogames. Victor took out enemies with ease, but eventually the battles began to add up and he had to request her healing prowess. They managed to climb to the fifth floor without too much of a hassle, but Elizabeth decided that they head back after that, as planned.

"It's too early to take on the floor guardian," she said. "Though you _are _making a lot of progress, you'll still get pummeled. The enemy Shadows are _nothing _compared to floor guardians. You'll need to train a lot more and hopefully gain a new teammate or two."

"I'm exhausted anyway," Victor admitted. She grabbed his hand – something that sent tingles up his arm and butterflies fluttering in his stomach – and he closed his eyes as they were transported back to the principal's office.

"Welcome back," Margaret greeted them. "How did your first journey through a dungeon go?"

"Not terribly exciting," he said. "The battles weren't as fun as I expected them to be."

"They'll get better," she assured him. "But this situation isn't just fun and games. The fate of the world may very well be in your hands."

_How clichéd, _he thought.

"Anyways, I have prepared something for you during your absence." She procured from her desk a stack of papers stapled together and passed it to him. "It's a list of the profiles of potential teammates. You'd do best to go through them and if possible, find ways to befriend them. It's not an absolute must, but it may help you."

The realization dawned on him then. "Margaret, is my ability to summon Gelos the 'special' talent that got me the scholarship?" he said.

"Yes," she said carefully. "That's why you were invited here. We know of all the students who have the potential. There's no one, really, who could have slipped underneath our noses. Don't ask how, though. That's not what's important."

He nodded absently, looking down at the stack in his hands. On the first page was a picture of a smirking blonde, expensive brand sunglasses perched on her head, blue eyes narrowed and glaring up at him behind red trimmed glasses as if they could actually see him. As if they were judging him. Her name was 'Catarina Marques', born on the 9th of November, 1999. She was a sophomore.

He flipped to the second page, where a familiar face greeted him: dark hair that fell to her shoulders – now to her waist - framing her face, skin a shade or two darker than his, and big brown eyes so full of happiness he was surprised it was even her. A genuine smile was stretched across her face, revealing straight, white teeth. It was the girl who had violently kicked her tormentor in the groin, who had snapped at Victor when he had expressed his concern for her, whose bitterness at such a young age had astounded him. "Eliana Kazemi," he said out loud. "So that's her name. She's actually pretty cute in a little sisterly way..."

_Though, she's not going to be so easy to befriend, _he thought with a wince. _I might just skip out on her entirely..._

On the third page was another familiar face. Myla Navarro, smiling serenely. Her appearance surprised him almost as much as Eliana's, though he wouldn't mind having her on the team. He flipped to the next page, to the only boy's. He was a black male with glasses, unsmiling but with a friendly glint in his dark eyes. "A guy in my grade at last," Victor said, relieved. "Isaiah Taylor...I think he's in my Bio class."

"One last thing to keep in mind," Margaret said. "We've only kept track of the _students. _Teammates outside of the school, however, may still be within the realm of possibility. Anyways, I'm sure Elizabeth will have much to discuss with me. You're dismissed, Mr. Lage."

Victor noticed that she was shooting a glare at her sister, which Elizabeth met with one of her own. He was about to say something in an attempt to diffuse the tension, but thought better of it. It was better that he didn't intervene. This was a matter between siblings.

_Is that even any of your business? _Eliana's words echoed in his mind.

He sighed, mentally wishing Elizabeth good luck before leaving the room.

* * *

**-Morning: Wednesday, September 10, 2014-**

Victor's first class the next day was Philosophy, where he met the strangest teacher he's ever had. It was a man who introduced himself as and insisted on being called "Theodore", and would not reveal his last name. Much like Margaret and Elizabeth, who he bore a striking resemblance to. Victor suddenly remembered Elizabeth mentioning a "Theo" when he had asked her about Marissa, and realized that this must've been him.

Nate was in the class, sitting directly in front of him – that was a relief to Victor, whose other classes were full of unfamiliar people, with the exception of Myla in his Biology and Math class. The British boy turned to greet him with a warm grin and a, "Hello". They didn't get a chance to converse, however, as the national anthem ended and Theo began the class.

"Alright, everyone," he said, as he made his rounds down the aisles between the desks. "I'm new to teaching, so please don't make this hard for me. I understand there's a mixture of tenth graders and eleventh graders?"

He was met with silence.

"What, have you no spunk?" he said. "I don't mind talking, as long as it's to me and not meaningless gossip with your neighbour. _And_ sleeping is not allowed either. Goodness, the class _just _started," He slammed the desk of said sleeping student with a clenched fist, just inches away from his face. Victor saw that it was the fauxhawk guy from two days ago, who jolted awake, clearly startled. "Your name, sir?"

Fauxhawk regained his composure in a matter of seconds. "I'd watch what you do and say around me if I were you," he said, his voice just as icy as the blue eyes with which he fixed a glare on Theodore. "My father is one of the richest men on the island, if not _the _richest."

"Is that so?" Theodore said, feigning awe and respect. "I'm sure he's a very nice chap, and I'd love to meet him sometime to discuss your diligence in my class, as well as the possibility of taking etiquette classes."

The class laughed. Even Victor couldn't suppress a chuckle of his own. The only ones who weren't laughing at Fauxhawk's expense were himself, his tall lackey and Theodore. Said lackey was scribbling in the margins of his notebook, without even a glance at his leader.

"...Bradley Fontaine," Fauxhawk said reluctantly.

"I'm sure we'll have a wonderful year, Mr. Fontaine," Theodore said politely, clasping his hands behind his back as he resumed his position at the front of the class. After taking attendance, he began his lesson – or at least tried to, "Anyways, let's get this class started, shall we? No notes are necessary today. We'll just go over the course outline. This first week, we'll be focusing on the meaning of life...Another student not paying attention? Is Philosophy class really that boring for you all? Catarina!"

All eyes shifted to the blonde by the window, chin on her hands, listening to music on full blast. How she could do that without going deaf, Victor didn't know, as he could hear it even from his position three seats to the right of her. It was the only thing that kept him from zoning out. He looked to Nate, whose mildly interested gaze was pinned on Catarina.

_Does he have a thing for Catarina? _Victor wondered. _She's pretty...pretty cocky, that is. At least, from what I've seen of her. She also happens to be a potential Persona user...Great. Then again... I _should _give her a chance...It's not fair to judge her for her flaws, when I'm not the most perfect person around myself._

Theodore approached her, something she failed to notice with her head in the clouds and her ears rendered temporarily ineffective by her music. He yanked the earphones straight out, dangling her iPod by the cord and with a smirk on his face that could rival the one in her photo.

"Hey!" she said, only to bite her lip when she noticed it was the teacher and not one of her classmates. "Uh...Sorry, Theodore. Can I have it back? Please?"

"Sure! As long as you say please," he said, to the surprise of his class. He handed it back to her, adding as an afterthought, "But don't listen to it again." Cathy nodded. When he had his back turned, she pulled up the hood of her leather jacket, slipped her iPod into her sleeve and placed one lone earbud into the ear facing the window.

_I guess he doesn't know he's allowed to confiscate it, _Victor thought. _ Or that wearing hoods in class is not allowed. _

Philosophy was actually a lot more interesting than he expected it to be. Theodore was normally a very serious guy, but his lectures were so comically overdramatic, and his responses to out of line students dripped with sarcasm. Bradley was his number one target, which Victor couldn't help but feel satisfied about – Theodore dismissed any threats of getting fired and even outright challenged Bradley many times throughout the hour and a half class. Catarina, however, was left alone after her first warning.

"Hey, do you want to meet up for lunch?" Nate asked as they were packing up their things for second period.

"Yeah, sure," Victor said. "Where do you want to meet? Dining hall?"

"The food there is okay, but I'd actually rather go eat out, if you don't mind," Nate said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I find, whenever I eat at the school, bad things usually tend to happen."

_Bad things? _Victor thought, but refrained from pressing further.

"Anyways, I'll be seeing you then. We'll meet at the foyer, okay?" Nate joined the students filing out the door, leaving Victor alone in the classroom. The only other person who remained was Theodore.

As if on cue, he said, "Victor, can I talk to you for a minute? You won't be late, I promise." Victor approached his teacher's desk, awaiting the usual "Persona" lecture he was coming to expect from people who looked like Elizabeth. But it didn't even _last _a minute. All Theodore did was hand him a piece of paper, adding, "Don't tell Margaret or Elizabeth."

Victor examined it.

"Reed McEfflam," he said out loud. "Wait a minute...He doesn't go here."

"He's a tech guy at the academy, so that's good enough, I suppose," Theodore said with a faint smile. "Remember what I said. Dismissed."

* * *

**-Lunchtime-**

"I think I want to go to Kim Mortons," Victor said upon meeting up with Nate. They exited the school with haste, making their way to the city beyond. "The cookies there are delicious. A little freshman girl gave me one the other day."

Nate laughed. "Why? Popular with the ladies?"

"Actually, long story short, she wanted me to leave her alone," Victor said, a tad embarrassed. _I wish, though a freshman's affections would be a little weird... _"Some guys were harassing her and I tried to talk to her, but she got all snappy with me. Then, she gave me her cookies. It was weird, but it worked. I have a huge sweet tooth."

"Bradley Fontaine and his lackeys?" Nate glanced at Victor out of the corner of his eye, before once again focusing on where he was going. In a town like Richard, it was important to keep your guard up, as Victor discovered firsthand when someone nearly pitpocketed him while he was marvelling at his surroundings. Old-fashioned, yet incredibly beautiful buildings surrounded him on all sides, street lights arranged in such a way that only added to its aesthetic appeal; it looked much like a smaller version of Quebec City, which he had only seen in pictures.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it was them," Victor said, jolted out of his dreamlike trance. "How did you guess?"

"They have...a bit of a reputation around school," Nate said, sighing. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shuddered as a cool breeze drifted by. Victor zipped up his fleece. "Bradley, Fat Albert and Zavier. All in tenth grader, though Fat Albert was held back a grade. They harass any girls who are remotely pretty, but they mostly look at bodies. I've had trouble with them more times than I can count."

"Why is that?"

"They've harassed my girlfriends in the past," was all Nate said.

_Girlfriends? He seems like the kind of guy who's popular with girls. I wish I had that kind of charisma. _

"Well, we're here," Nate announced. "It's actually a pretty short walk from the school. I don't usually go here, but I've passed by it plenty of times."

Victor was barely paying attention, however. He was eying the sign on the door that said, "Help Needed" in big, bold red letters. The last job he had held back home, he had absolutely despised with a passion that burned hotter than the Sun, but a café wouldn't be a terrible place to work. Especially if it meant a discount on those delicious cookies.

"I heard they're selling Pheromone Coffee here now," Nate said. "It apparently makes you more popular, and it actually works according to some people. I think it's just a placebo kind of thing, though."

"What do you mean?" Victor said, interest piqued. Regardless of what Nate said, he wanted to try this coffee if it meant even the slightest boost in charm. _And the possibility of a girlfriend...No, I'm _not _desperate, Gelos! _Gelos said nothing, but his user could sense mocking amusement at his expense from _some _presence in his mind.

"It's not the coffee itself that's boosting your charm," Nate explained. "Because it hasn't been proven that humans even have pheromones to begin with, and it's highly unlikely that they do. It's like a placebo drug. In actuality, it's useless, but you trick yourself into thinking it's helping and that, in itself, raises your confidence and by extension, your charm. In any case, it tastes awesome so you should give it a try."

The two entered the café, already bustling with people. Victor noticed Eliana sitting alone at a table and offered her a smile, which wasn't returned. She just continued stirring her iced cappuccino with her straw, as if she hadn't seen him.

_She's still not any friendlier, is she? _

Victor stood with Nate in a rather long lineup that took at least five minutes to get through. When they did, the cashier greeted them with a friendly grin, "Hey, it's cookie guy. What can I get you?" It was Marissa.

"Pheromone coffee, please," he said. "And five cookies. Oh, and a chicken salad as well."

"Whoa, five cookies," she said, tapping the orders in. "You're a real cookie monster, aren'tcha? What about you?" She raised her gaze to meet Nate's, only to freeze, eyes wide.

"French vanilla, please. A blueberry muffin and BBQ chicken wrap," Nate said, either ignoring her sudden reaction or not noticing it. Victor had a sneaking suspicion it was the former.

"Coming right up," she said, bustling about to get the orders done.

"Do you know her?" Victor whispered, nudging Nate in the side.

Nate seemed irritated, brow creased and a slight curl to his lip. "Yes, she's an ex," he said, and didn't say anything else on the subject. Victor shrugged, stepping to the side to let the next customer get their order in.

After paying for their food – Marissa was clearly disgruntled when she took their money – the two took a seat by the window. Victor could hear a group of schoolgirls gossiping about something that couldn't help but grab his attention, no matter how adverse to gossip he was.

"Isn't the new philosophy teacher hot?" one of them said with a giggle. "He looks so young too! Not to mention, he has a great ass."

"You're disgusting," said another. "He's good-looking, yeah, but do you know how many kinds of wrong it is to crush on a teacher? Plus, it's weird how he doesn't even tell us his last name..."

"His sisters are the same – the principal and the librarian. They don't tell us their last names either," a third girl said. "You think they even have one?"

"Of course they do," the first girl said, shooting her friend a look that said as much as she did, "God, Karen, you're so stupid."

"It's probably embarrassing. It makes me want to know even more, though!"

"Anyways...Bradley Fontaine is pretty hot, isn't he? Not to mention he has an even greater ass than Theo. Sure, he's a douchebag but damn it all if he isn't a hot one! I don't get why Eliana is always complaining about him. I'd kill to have him flirt with me," the first girl said.

Victor decided to stop eavesdropping at that, instead striking up a conversation with Nate all the while thinking about submitting his résumé.

* * *

**-After School—**

Victor returned to the dorms after class, finding Nikkos and Simon – thankfully – absent from their room. As an eleventh grader attending a private school, he undoubtedly had a lot of homework – but he was also a master at the art of procrastination, so he ended up on the computer instead.

Only to experience a blue screen of death not even five minutes in. A quick investigation revealed that the computer had crashed because of excessive downloading of rock music as well as so many viruses that it gave him a headache just trying to fix it.

"Damn. You. Cosse," Victor said between gritted teeth. He knew Simon was just as guilty, but he was perfectly content with pinning all the blame on Nikkos instead – plus, "Cosse and Simon" didn't roll off the tongue as well. "I will murder you in your frikking sleep, or even better. I'll have Gelos use Bufu on your keyboard, smash it and feed all the little pieces to you. I swear, it hasn't even been a week and you're already driving me insane..."

He sighed. As good as he was with computers, he'd rather have someone more professional take a look at it. Mostly because he was way too lazy, and didn't want to take responsibility just because his roommates lacked any.

About fifteen minutes after he called the school's tech support, a young man appeared at Victor's door, quite clearly Irish if stereotypes were anything to go by. He possessed skin so pale it looked like the sun could burn it to a crisp at even the slightest exposure – at least, the skin you could see amidst his many, many freckles. His hair was a fiery shade of red, unkempt and sticking up all over the place – he even had sideburns! To complete his rather slothful look, he had dull brown eyes lined with deep bags, behind a pair of crooked glasses.

"Hello," he said, seeming bored, as if he didn't want to be there. "The name is Reed. Reed McEfflam." Without waiting for Victor to introduce himself, he pushed his way into the room, straight for the computer.

_He's a potential Persona user, _Victor thought. "Uh, I'm Victor."

"I really don't care," was all Reed said.

_Why doesn't anyone care when I introduce myself?!_

Victor climbed onto his bed with his 3DS in hand, expecting the computer's recovery to take a long time. To his surprise, not even ten minutes into his game of _Kid Icarus, _Reed stood up, brushing imaginary dirt off himself.

"There you go," he said curtly. "I'll be taking my leave now, if that's all."

"Thanks!" Victor said. Reed brushed his gratitude off with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Any time. That's my job." He smiled for a moment – it wasn't a particularly friendly smile, though. It was just _there. _Not reaching his eyes. "By the way, what was with all that rock music?"

"My roommates are wannabe rock stars," Victor said, with a heavy sigh. "It sucks. I barely get a wink of sleep because they're constantly either blasting music, or playing it themselves."

"At least you haven't gotten sexiled yet," Reed said, with a hint of amusement in his voice. "You know, sock or necktie on the door. That's the worst part about having roommates. And since they're wannabe rockstars, they're bound to have groupies eventually."

Victor winced at just the thought of it.

"In any case, I had best get going. I have more work to get done," Reed said, picking up his toolkit and making his way to the door without even a goodbye.

_Wait a minute...He looks like the new Spiderman guy...Huh. You sure do meet some interesting people at Richard's...Either interesting or downright annoying, like Stupid and Stupider._

It was then that he remembered that those two were currently absent.

"Eff yeah. Nap time..."

* * *

**-Evening-**

Victor awoke to a myriad of noises. Mostly Nikkos and Simon blasting their music again, while playing their own instruments at the same time, but also his cell phone ringing. He shot them an annoyed look, which they – of course – ignored, as he picked up. "Hello?"

"Victor!" It was Elizabeth. "How are you?"

"How did you get my number?" he said, irked. "Are you stalking me now, too?"

"Of course I am," she said, in a tone that suggested she wasn't joking. Victor wondered if he should be terrified. "You didn't answer my question, by the way."

_That still doesn't explain how she got my number..._

"Tired, now what is it? Did you just call me to say hello or is it something important?"

"First, you didn't drop by after school. In case you forgot, you still have a lot of training to do," she said sternly. Then she laughed, but it wasn't her usual pleasant one. It was edged with nervousness. "I have...uh...bad news, too, though. Someone else has been kidnapped."

"What?!" Victor yelled.

"Simon says to cut it out with the noise," Nikkos said. "Man, he's so loud, isn't he? What a prick. So inconsiderate of others."

Victor chose to ignore that. "Who?"

"Someone named Reed McEfflam," Elizabeth said. "He was supposed to fix some technology in the computer lab, but he never showed up. He has numerous missed calls. Margaret even made a PA announcement. Theo found his cell phone on the ground just five minutes ago. Suspicious, huh?"

_Oh great._

"Apparently," she added. "You were the last person to see him. Did you notice anything weird?"

"Not at all," Victor said. Had he? Reed was just a regular guy. One with the potential to awaken to a Persona, but Victor refrained from mentioning that. Theo must've had his reasons for keeping the truth from his sisters and in any case, if all went well, they'd find out anyway. "I'll be there ASAP."

_Operation: Rescue Reed, begin. _

**To be continued...**

* * *

**AN: **GAH I HATED THIS CHAPTER DX It was such a drag to write. But you know which chapter I hate even MORE? 5. Chapter 5. It's killing me, guys. (Yep, already finished 4)

Next one is a tons better, I promise :3 We get to see it through the perspective of...you guessed it, Reed frikking McEfflam! (His last name is awesome, so yeah) We won't actually see Operation: Rescue Reed, because that's boring. It's just implied that it's happening. Instead, we get to see Reed suffer as he faces his Shadow, which is AWESOMER! So please give me your input if you're reading this. I don't whore out for reviews - meaning, I'll continue updating regardless of the amount - but they DO motivate me. I love to hear what you guys think so I can improve my writing. Thanks a bunch! xoxo


	4. Reed's Despair

**Chapter 4**

**-?-**

Reed awoke to complete darkness.

He closed his eyes, and opened them again. At first, the darkness didn't relent at all, but once his eyes adjusted to it, he noticed a dark blue fabric was wrapped around them. He wriggled his arms, and felt the tightness of rope.

_"Ugh," _he said, though his voice – and the groan that followed – was muffled by the gag. He felt something alight on his nose, and a surge of warmth, before he passed out once again.

When he regained consciousness, he decided he was going to do something about his helpless position. He tried to stand, and found his legs wobbling with the effort, but he managed. The thing that was on him got off in surprise, the faint fluttering of wings indicating that it was likely an insect of some kind. It found a place in his mess of hair instead, as Reed stumbled forward a few steps. He didn't know what he could do with the blindfold on, but there had to be _something _he could cut the ropes with, right?

_Wrong, _he thought. _I don't even know where I am. And I can't even see! Damn it all._

He slumped to the ground.

And felt something slash the back of his shirt, digging into his flesh.

He growled in pain, just as the realization hit him. He got up once more, his hands wriggling, trying to grasp it. He found it. It was cold, of steel. His fingers traced it, to its edge.

_A blade? _he guessed.

Somehow, with blind effort, he used it to cut the ropes off. They fell harmlessly to the ground.

Reed undid the blindfold, took out the gag. His eyes adjusted once more to the dimness of his surroundings. He saw that the sharp object was indeed a blade, its hilt somehow dug deep into the wall and its blade protruding outward. _Shouldn't it be blade first? _he thought. _This place is very weird...Where the hell am I?_

He saw red eyes gleaming from the shadows. Then a shadowy mass flung itself at him.

Reed leapt away, just barely missing the sharpness of claws. He withdrew the gun hidden in his boot, and shot it.

Bad idea.

It lifted itself off the ground, its form slimming; the result was what appeared to be a head standing on feathery legs. The redness of its eyes bled out into a strange mask, leaving them hollow and pitch black. An enormous – and in his opinion, stupid looking - crown grew – literally _grew _– out of its head.

"What the _shit _is that?" Reed said under his breath. It came at him, ready to strike, and he dodged yet again, emitting a string of colourful swear words. Fire formed at its maw, which it spewed forth in a short burst. This time it struck him, and he winced, expecting burns to bloom all over his arms, but to his surprise, it barely even _hurt_. It was like being punched by an angry little kid; surprising, but not painful in the least.

He didn't want to keep shooting it to the point that he ran out of bullets. What if there were more? Maybe he should pull out one of the blades scattered about his deserted battle-field esque surroundings?

_Not enough time, damn it._

He bolted.

* * *

Reed found collapsed buildings on the next floor, a sea of rubble stretching out before him.

He wandered through it, gun at the ready, expecting more blobs to pounce at him. But none did. He turned the corner.

Only to be greeted by a large, crow-like monster. Its glowing red eyes settled on him, but it didn't move an inch. Something in its gaze suggested it wouldn't hesitate to attack if he got any closer, however. Reed backed away slowly, then ran in the other direction.

Something stopped him.

A figure emerged from the shadows, piercing him with a gaze of golden that was both beautiful for its colour and deadly for its malice. He had a bush of fiery red hair, his pale skin splattered with too many freckles to count.

He looked just like Reed.

"There's nowhere to run," the Reed lookalike said. "Come with me, and I'll take you away from this chaos, this confusion, this darkness. If you go back in the other direction, you'll have Corvus over there to deal with. If you choose to stay in one place, however, the Reaper – more powerful than a mortal like you can handle – will appear. What's your choice?"

Reed hesitated. _This has to be a nightmare. I have a lot of those, don't I? Nothing can truly happen to me in a nightmare...and in any case, I'm curious. If this asshole tries something, I'll shoot him. It's that simple, right?_

He followed his lookalike into one of the deserted buildings, thankfully standing. It was then that his surroundings changed. He was in a field, grass glistening with dew, sunflowers blooming towards the Sun itself. It was the kind of place he couldn't picture himself in, but it was relaxing too. He lay down in the grass, caressed by rays of sunlight. The hazy form of a woman appeared next to him, one that looked much like him, the wind stirring her red hair and her dark brown eyes gentle as she gazed upon him. He vaguely noticed he was on her lap, and that his lookalike was gone.

_"Mother..." _he whispered. "You're back..."

"Mhm. I've been waiting for you, Reed," she said, in that melodious voice of hers. That was how it had sounded, right? "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Eight years. Eight long years."

"Am I dead?"

"Yes, sweetie," she said, with a great sigh. "Yes, you are."

_Something doesn't feel right. _He tried his hardest to make sense of it. He had an analytic mind, so why wasn't it coming to him? His thoughts just felt muddled. Was he really dead? Was something keeping him from knowing the reason why, how it had happened? His memories were just out of his grasp.

An image of a hospital bed rose in his mind, a pale woman lying in it, red hair fanned around her face, breathing shallow. Madness in her eyes.

"You're not her, are you?" he said, as it started to piece itself together, bit by bit. He was reluctant to let go of this fantasy, but he was also a realistic man by nature. He had to keep himself grounded, no matter what. "My mother...she never wanted me."

"What are you talking about, sweetie?" the woman said, concerned. "I love you. I made a mistake all those years ago. I was going mad! I didn't know what I was saying." She pulled him into an embrace then, which he allowed without much of a fight. It felt nice, being in his mother's arms once again...He relaxed, the pieces of the puzzle falling apart once more.

_All this isn't how I pictured the afterlife, but there's no proof that the afterlife _isn't _like this either. My mind can't handle this...This isn't like a Math problem. There's no clear solution for this...Maybe she's right...Maybe I'm dead..._

A voice suddenly broke through his thoughts,_ "You have to fight it. Accept it. _Do_ it or you'll die_..."

Reed reached for his neck, where he felt a slight pressure. The voice in his head sounded so familiar...but he couldn't attach a name to it. For a second, he could've sworn that he saw the hazy form of a man hovering above him, absurd as that sounded. "I'm not gay..." he said under his breath.

"Although..." his mother said, snapping him out of his daze. Her voice took on a sharp, derisive edge. "Banning was always the better son, wasn't he? He was always the handsome son, the smart son. You can't compare." Then he felt an explosion of excruciating pain in his back. He lay there, gasping. Drops of blood were pooling on her lap, the stench sharp in his nose. He jerked away from her before she could pull the blade out.

_It has to stay in there or else I'll bleed out all my lifeblood...But can I even die here...? _

"Of course I can't...Mother. He's your older son...He was never an accident...was he?" he managed to wheeze out. "I should have...known this was too...good to be true."

The sunflowers were wilting, the sky darkening. His mother's serene expression seemed mockingly false all of a sudden, highlighted by a sudden flash of lightning, her shrill laugh followed by the rumble of thunder. The storm was close. Another flash of lightning was reflected in her manic dark brown eyes.

"I'd always wondered...what the colour of your eyes was...because your face was starting to fade from my memory after you died," Reed whispered. "Dark brown or light...But now I remember. They're light. No...They're hazel. You..._you're clearly an imposter._"

His mother grinned, revealing shark-like teeth dripping blood, the rest of her face cast in shadow. She snapped her fingers.

Then she was gone, and his surroundings morphed yet again. He was in a room, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of his surroundings. When they did, he could just barely make out many large, flat-screen monitors covering almost every inch of the wall. The monitors flickered to life almost simultaneously, displaying color bars at first.

Then his lookalike's face appeared, in every single one.

_"Hello, Reed," _they all chorused, then laughed at once.

Reed fell to his knees, unable to keep standing, his teeth gritted. The Reeds jeered at him with their uproarious laughter and venomous insults. He tuned them out, instead trying to figure out an escape route, with little success. Nothing made sense. His brain was muddled with thoughts and uncertainty, his focus broken by the pain in his back. He vaguely realized that the knife probably hadn't punctured a major organ or his spinal cord. He wasn't sure if he was happy about that.

He wasn't even sure if he was alive or dead.

Or of anything, for that matter.

His train of thought crashed, his mind going completely blank. A cold, numbing feeling chilled him to the bone. His mind felt like a computer that had just crashed from an overload of information. He couldn't process any of it.

One of the Reeds, displayed in the largest monitor of all, addressed him all of a sudden, "So tell me, Reed, how are you doing?" The lookalike had a casual grin on his face that was turned eerie by the calculating glint in his golden eyes.

_ Why does he have golden eyes?_

"I don't know," Reed said, his voice clear this time, but devoid of emotion. "I've just been backstabbed by my mother, literally. I don't know how to feel. I should feel betrayed, but I don't. I feel...nothing." Subconsciously, he reached for the blade in his back. Found it missing. It was gone, just like that.

"Isn't that just the sad reality of life?" his lookalike said, with a heavy sigh. "The world is a terrible place. We grow up believing it's wonderful, that we'll never get hurt. That our parents truly love us, because that's how it is on TV, right? That's what everyone tells us. 'Oh, your parents are just looking out for you, they don't _mean _to hurt you'." He shook his head. "But that's bullshit. Not everyone is blessed with loving parents. And if you're not, then that's where the bad things begin."

Reed absently nodded to those words. Maybe his father loved him, but his mother had passed away with her last words being that he was unwanted. Unloved. A mistake. That _was _when the badness began, when his rose coloured glasses were left shattered at his feet and his life fell apart all around him.

_Aren't mothers supposed to love their children unconditionally? _

"After mummy dearest died, life has been hell," the lookalike continued. "Your grades dropped. You pushed away your friends, your brother and father. Why, Reed? They love you, even though your mother didn't."

"Because they deserve better, because I don't want to drag them down with me into Hell," Reed croaked, clenching his fists. "I'm going fucking _insane._ Everything is so wrong. I can't find my direction in life. I hate it all. I...don't even want to live anymore."

"It's better that way, isn't it?" all the Reeds hissed at once.

"No," the real Reed insisted, with faltering determination. "At the same time, I want to help people...I _have _to...It's the only purpose I have. It's the only way I can make up for being such a failure at everything else. For failing to even win _her_ love, for destroying every relationship I ever had."

"You know who needs help? _You," _the big Reed said with a laugh. "But they never gave it to you. You were just going through a _phase, _they said. They never helped you. And the depression has sapped you so dry, beyond repair. Nothing can fix you now."

"That's true," Reed admitted.

"So you accept me?"

"What?"

"You accept me as you?"

Reed shrugged. "I don't know. Everything you said was true. But everything that's happened to me...has been too absurd to just..._accept _as reality. I'm going insane, so it could just be that."

"This is all too real, I'm afraid," the doppelganger said, his tone dripping with false sympathy. Reed was reminded of all those people he barely knew, neighbours and friends of family friends and teachers he didn't have, looking at him with that _pity. _Telling him they were _so _sorry for his loss, that they completely understood what he was going through.

Then telling him a year later to get over it.

"I am the Shadow, the true self. I am born from the reality in your head. I am you. You are me. We are one."

"I don't understand," Reed said. "This is too much. I'm hardwired for logic. Facts. None of this can be real...Why...Why can't I make sense of it?!" His head was throbbing. A dizzy sensation assaulted him, and he had to clutch his head to contain whatever was trying to burst forth.

"There are many things beyond your understanding," Shadow Reed said, tone suddenly edged with cruelty. Gone was the friendliness. He barked out a scathing laugh. "For example, how could your mother not love you, when you cared for her in her ill state? How can big brother be _so good _at everything, and wanted, and nothing you do is good enough? Why is life so unfair? What did you do to deserve all this shit?"

Reed couldn't find a response for that.

"You're unworthy of love because you're unworthy of living. A mistake. Your brother was planned. He was meant to be alive, he was blessed with everything you could only hope for, and that's why you have an inferiority complex towards him," the Shadow said. "And to put it simply, you were never blessed. You were cursed to live the life of a mistake, an error in the system that is life. The moment you were born, you were destined to live a miserable life. There's no redemption for you."

Moisture was gathering in Reed's eyes. He blinked in surprise. He hadn't cried since he was twelve. But now all those horrible memories were coming back to assault him at once, stirring within him the emotions he hadn't felt in so long. Sorrow, dread, despair and above all, rage. A fire was beginning to burn within his soul.

_Awaken, _a woman's voice, resembling his mother's, whispered. _Overcome adversity. Triumph over your deepest shames. _

"We're just going around in circles here," Shadow Reed said, with a shake of his head. "This can go two ways. Accept me, or deny me. Both lead to two very different outcomes, so choose wisely."

"How about I pick a third option?" Reed said, his anger seeping into his tone. Shadow Reed cocked his head, confused. A bullet pierced his forehead, shattering the screen. "Want another for that big mouth of yours? You're starting to get on my nerves with all this blabbing. Why don't you tell me something I don't know?" Another shot, its sound ripping through the air.

All the faces flickered out at once, putting an end to their hissing insults with simultaneous crackles of static.

Shadow Reed leapt down from his shattered monitor, bearing a cold, businesslike look. "I take that as denial." Faster than Reed could react, the Shadow lunged at him, baring fangs and claws, pouncing. Reed just barely managed to stumble out of the way in time, fumbling with his gun.

Another bullet pierced right through his doppelganger's chest, ichor bursting out. For a moment, he anticipated an attack. However, the Shadow transformed into Reed's mother again this time, clutching the wound, gazing at him with sad golden eyes. "I just want to be accepted," he – or rather she – whimpered. "Just like you."

Reed took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do all of a sudden. The voice of that young man echoed in his head. _Accept it. _

"I...I accept you," he told his Shadow. Seeing the image of his mother, wounded by his bullets, broke his heart. He felt bile gather in his throat, but pushed it back with a gulp. He had to do this. "You were right...about everything. I'm still not sure if this is a nightmare, or reality, or the afterlife. I don't _know. _But...all I know is that I can't keep running away from the truth, or my chance at happiness. All I know is that...whether or not you're a figment of my imagination or real...You're me. You're a reflection of my despair. And I need to accept that, whether I like it or not."

She smiled then. It was a sad smile, but a hint of happiness at his acceptance sparkled in her eyes, which faded back to their original hazel. Her form was enveloped in light. He had to shield his eyes from its brightness.

_"I am thou, and thou art I," _the voice from his mind intoned. _"From the sea of thy soul, I come...I am Banshee, Messenger of the Otherworld." _A woman swathed in a tattered gray cloak emerged, her face hidden by her hood and the shadow it cast, the only visible skin – her neck and hands – paler than Reed's, devoid of any distinguishing marks. A trail of Will-O-Wisps encircled her.

A card appeared before him, emblazoned with the image of a smiling sun and the roman numerals 'XIX'.

She faded, and Reed lost consciousness.

* * *

When Reed came to, he noticed he was on a bed and that there were two faces hovering above him. One of them was Victor's, the other belonged to a woman he suddenly realized was the principal's sister. Both breathed out sighs of relief upon noticing his eyes flutter open. "Ugghh...That was the worst nightmare ever," he said, groaning as he lifted himself into a sitting position."What are you two doing here?"

"That wasn't a nightmare," the woman – Elizabeth? – informed him. "Tell us everything that happened, if you would please." A voice of reason deep within his mind told him he could believe her. _Banshee? _

"Alright, sure, whatever." Reed took a deep breath, before plunging into his story. Victor and Elizabeth listened, the former looking at him with genuine sympathy and the latter seeming interested, 'ooh'ing and 'ahh'ing at all the right parts. When he was finished, he said flatly, "You both seem like you understand what's going on. Tell me _your _side of the story."

"Well..." Victor said, rubbing the back of his neck and averting his gaze. Reed suddenly realized that the man's voice from earlier was his. "Banshee...She's your Persona. I have one, too, Gelos. When you accepted Shadow...err, Reed, or your mom, or whatever...it transformed into Banshee. Banshee is a manifestation of your psyche, whereas the Shadow was a manifestation of your deepest insecurities..."

"Basically," Elizabeth cut in. "What you experienced was a mental struggle of sorts...We could hear you, but we couldn't see what you were going through. Your Shadow was trying to goad you into making a choice, which could benefit it either way, by drawing from your deepest insecurities. You accepted it, so it became Banshee. Had you flat out denied it...It would've taken on a more hostile form and killed you so it could take your place. As you floundered in the middle, it had no choice but to do so as well."

"...None of this makes sense," Reed said.

"It will take a while to sink in," she said. "Rest for now. You'll need it. We'll tell you everything we know once you're ready." With a nod, she took her leave, Victor sparing him a glance as he followed her to the door.

"It'll be nice having you on the team, Reed," Victor said.

Reed was left alone with his own thoughts and the presence of Banshee in his mind, silent but comforting. He closed his eyes once more, dreaming of meadows and stormy skies.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**AN: **Not all of the Persona users will have hostile Shadows ;)


	5. Uncertainty

**Chapter 5**

**-Morning: Friday, September 12, 2014- **

Reed groaned as he untangled himself from his bedsheets and fumbled for the glasses on the nightstand. Even when he shoved them onto his face, his vision was still blurry from the remnants of sleep lingering after a troubled night, haunted by flashbacks of what had happened in Virgo. He didn't want to return to Richard's, let alone face Elizabeth, but he had a job to do there, a job he had left unfinished when he was kidnapped.

He shuffled his way into the bathroom, only doing the necessities and not bothering to shave the fuzz off his face. He was feeling too down for that. Even dressing up felt like too much trouble, and he'd much rather go shirtless and in boxers. A faint smirk formed on his lips when he pictured the look on everyone's faces as he strolled into the school stripped down to his nightwear, but it dropped right off when he realized he was out of food.

_I didn't even bother getting out of bed yesterday, did I? _he thought. _Damn it. One day of MIA and I'm already off my game. _

He sighed, scraping together a meager meal consisting of a bruised banana and a cup of milk. It did nothing to fill his empty stomach, but it was better than nothing. Reed shoved his wallet and toolkit into a small backpack, and tucked his gun into his boot, before setting off to face the world again.

The walk to Richard's was a short distance from his small, cozy apartment building, so Reed didn't feel the need to go at anything but a leisure pace, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, a tune whistling out of his lips. He saw students milling about, hoping to meet up with their friends and catch a drink at the local coffee shop before classes started. A pang of nostalgia went through him, forcing a sigh out of his lips. Nostalgia for simpler times where he didn't have to worry about paying for bills and rent, or even if he had enough money to buy the groceries. Nostalgia for a time of big dreams and a case of the wanderlust.

_As if being an adult wasn't tough enough. Now Elizabeth and Victor are forcing this whole Persona shit on me, _he thought bitterly as he entered the school. _I don't want to be a part of this. I just want to be an average guy who has enough money to get by, a cute girlfriend to get in bed with and an overall average life. Why can't they just let me believe it was all just a nightmare?_

_Don't run from the truth, _Banshee chided in that damn motherly voice of hers, so reminiscent of the woman from his memories. _If they didn't tell you, I would've have. _

_Shut up, _he told her. She complied, but Reed couldn't help but feel the tiniest hint of guilt, because she was right. This was the cold, hard truth, no matter how much he didn't want to accept it.

Reed groaned, shaking his head to clear it of all his turbulent thoughts. He had a job to get done, and he was sure it would provide the distraction he needed. He steeled himself to face Elizabeth, and made his way into the library. The chipper blonde librarian greeted him with a wave and a rather creepy yet oddly beautiful smile. He ignored it, ducking into the computer lab, currently occupied by a tall, tanned tenth grader and an even taller, bespectacled Asian man.

"Good morning, Sugou," Reed said to the latter. When the man shot him an annoyed look, he reluctantly corrected him, trying – and failing – to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, "I mean, Mr. Kayaba. Lovely weather we're having, huh?"

"I wouldn't know," Mr. Kayaba said, eyes now glued to the screen. He appeared absentminded, his attention now focused on whatever it was he was doing and everything else – including Reed's presence – barely seeming to register. "I don't go out much."

_Not surprising in the least, _Reed thought, smirking. "What are you up to? Marking? Let me guess, all D's?"

"Something like that," Mr. Kayaba said. "Now, get lost. Or if you have a job to get done, at least leave me the hell alone. My computer doesn't need fixing."

"Mine does," the tenth grader said suddenly. "It's acting really slow. And all these porno ads keep showing up. Something about...uh, demons, too? What the..." He muttered an unpleasant word under his breath.

Reed frowned. _Demons? Seriously? Must be one of those annoying RPG pop ups..._

"I'll take a look at it," he said out loud. "In the meantime, try another one." The boy nodded, shoving his belongings to the side and shifting over to the other chair. Reed claimed his old one, first taking a moment to inspect the monitor before setting his bag down. There were indeed many pop-ups plaguing the desktop screen, some of them involving scantily clad women in raunchy poses – however, they were no ordinary women. They all had demonic traits about them; devil tails here, bat-like wings there, even webbed hands and feet and a giant snake draped around the shoulders.

One pop-up in particular frightened the normally stoic Reed to the core – not because it was all that scary, but because of the memories it evoked.

Many hands – attached to long, scraggly arms - stretched out of the ground, several of them holding swords – and one of them holding an all too familiar blue mask with hollowed eyes.

"Fu..." The word dangled, unfinished, in the air, as he was assaulted by severe nausea.

"Are you okay?" the teenage boy said after what seemed like forever, snapping him back to reality. Reed only then realized that he had his head buried in his hands, and lifted it up wearily to see a concerned expression on the boy's face. He inhaled sharply, trying to calm his rapid breathing, and wiped his clammy palms on his pants.

"What's your name, kid?" Reed said instead.

"Zavier."

"I'm just fine," Reed said, more to himself than to the boy – Zavier. "Just not feeling so great, that's all. God, if that's how morning sickness feels for pregnant women, then I'm so glad I'm a man..." He cracked a smile at that, but as usual, it didn't feel genuine. At least some things remained unchanged no matter what happened.

Zavier didn't say anything else, just nodded – he seemed at a loss for words. Reed didn't blame him. He had been just fine moments before.

_That thing...it looked like a Shadow, _he thought. He wiped off the sweat that had begun to bead on his forehead, and grimaced. _Bloody hell... _An image entered his mind, of Banshee opening her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, and her hooded form simply slumped. _Banshee is a manifestation of my psyche...If I can't help myself, neither can she._

Reed took another deep breath, and let it out in a weary sigh. He closed the pop-ups and got to work, hoping it would distract him. However, no matter how much he squinted at the screen, clicked around with the cursor or shook his head to clear it, he just couldn't wrap his mind around the problem and work out a solution. The computer lab was eerily silent, and even if it hadn't been, he was the kind of person who could tune out the loudest of noises.

So why was it so hard for him to concentrate?

"I can't do this," he said.

He rose, his sudden movement catching the attention of Mr. Kayaba, who just pursed his lips. Reed ignored the other man, grabbing his bag off the floor and stumbling out the door to the main library. Elizabeth was standing in the spot he had last seen her, and flashed him her chipper smile once again.

"That was fast," she said, getting out a dark blue clutch bag and zipping it open. A couple of golden coins tumbled out, and she reached out to retrieve them, only to drop more. They pooled at her feet in a heap, and she scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "Um...I apologize for that little display. I am no good at handling money."

"I can't do this," he said. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but I can't do this. Just call somebody else. I can't do this."

"You said that thrice," she said, visibly concerned as she collected the money. "What is the matter?"

"This whole...Shadow ordeal," he said. "I can't get it out of my head. What happened in that dungeon..."

"...is supposed to help you become a better person," Elizabeth said. "I thought you accepted your Shadow."

"I did," Reed said. "Or else I wouldn't have Banshee, would I? It's just...I don't know. I don't know what to do. Just because I accepted her, doesn't mean it's any easier for me. And..." He considered telling her about just what it was he had seen on that computer, but it seemed like a terribly silly thing to be upset about. The only thing Reed hated more than looking like a fool, was looking weak, and bringing that up would be doing both.

_I probably look pretty weak now, though, _he thought. _Damn it all. I used it to have it all together...Or at least as together as someone as effed up as me can be._

"Help us," Elizabeth said. "You are destined to do great things, Reed. And a destiny like yours cannot be defied."

"Bullshit," he said. "I have a life, too. I'm not just going to drop everything to fight Shadows and save the world or whatever all this shit is about. There'll be other people with 'Personas'. I'm not needed."

"You will be helping people," she said. "And in turn, it will help you. It's not a good idea to turn your back to something like this."

Reed winced. When she put it like that, it was difficult to say 'no'. He _lived _to help people, to carry their burdens. At the same time, though, what he said had been true – he was an adult, and it would be even harder to juggle his working life with that of some sort of underground hero.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I have too much at stake here."

"...I cannot say I understand, but alright," Elizabeth said. "Usually, Persona users are a lot more...eager to jump on board. I didn't think I'd fail at convincing you."

"I'm sorry," he repeated. The words tasted so, so insincere. But deep down, he knew he _was _sorry. For both himself and everyone else involved.

"Everything will fall into piece eventually," she said cryptically. "I don't think you can defy your destiny so easily. You will change your mind sometime in the near future." With that, she walked off, as did Reed.

He didn't look back. He couldn't. He just kept walking, into the hallways, into the foyer, out the doors. It was only when he was outside the school, on the front steps, that he noticed he was shaking.

* * *

**-Lunchtime-**

Reed, to take his mind off his dilemma, decided to treat himself by eating out. He settled for a cheap (by the island's standards) but high quality diner, not wanting to suffer the consequences of ignoring his budget, and set off for the local plaza.

It was lunchtime for the students at Richard's, and Reed found himself surrounded by flocks of squealing pubescent and prepubescent girls as well as aggressive boys, which was both annoying and nostalgia-inducing for him. He let out a sigh, trying to come up with the best path to his favourite diner that didn't involve too much shoving, but would save him time as well.

It took him a little longer than he'd hoped for, but he finally arrived at the door. He opened it for the small woman that was about to pass through, who mumbled a thank you under her breath. Then their eyes met.

"Reed," she said, surprised. "...What are you doing here?"

"What most people go to diners to do, Helen," Reed said with thinly veiled sarcasm. "You know, to eat." He gave her a quick once-over. Throughout the years, she had changed a lot – in high school, she had braces and her signature dorky glasses. The former was obviously gone now, but she had also ditched the latter as well in favour of green contacts. Yet, it was so easy to recognize her – she still hadn't gotten any taller, her body still wasn't particularly fantastic, and she still kept her mousy brown hair in a messy bun.

She wasn't supposed to be the kind of girl he found absolutely gorgeous and he wasn't the kind of guy who was supposed to have feelings like this, but he knew that when they parted ways, he'd have trouble tearing his gaze away.

"Still as sarcastic as ever, I see," Helen said. "Anyways, I better get going. It was...nice seeing you again."

"Wait," Reed said. Without thinking, he made a reach for her wrist, but ended up grabbing her sleeve instead. "Do you want to eat? With...me? It's my treat."

"I'd rather not," she said, eying him warily. "It's been over two years, Reed. It's one of the unwritten rules of life that you don't hang out with your ex."

"Not even as friends?"

"If I may quote you..." she said, her tone biting. "'It never would have worked out anyway.' Reed, you said that it ended and that's all there is it to it. We ran our course and-"

"Not even as friends?" he said again, narrowing his eyes at her. _I'm repeating myself a lot today, aren't I? _"But...if you don't want to, I won't force you. I just think it would be nice to catch up, that's all."

Helen looked uncertain, but didn't tear her sleeve away. Instead, after a moment, she nodded. "Okay, but since I get the discount, I'll treat you instead. Fair?"

"Sure," Reed said. He followed her into the diner, which wasn't as full as he'd expected it to be during lunch hour.

"Business has been slow lately," she said sourly, as if she had read his mind. "You know, all those spoiled kids going to Buckstars and buying expensive drinks with their parents' money just so they can fit in. Anyways, that's why my shift ended early. What would you like?"

"The barbeque chicken sandwich, with a large coke and a donut," Reed said. Helen nodded and made a dismissive gesture towards the table, before heading to the counter to make their orders and pay.

Reed picked a table by the window and sat down, using this opportunity to reflect on what had just happened. Helen, to her credit, just had this magnetic quality about her that drew him in. He knew that he of all people shouldn't attempt to get close to anyone, least of all his ex, but isolating himself wasn't an easy task. No matter how emotionless he wanted to believe himself to be, he was still a lonely man.

It was only after what he had gone through in the dungeon that he truly began to realize this. His Shadow had, in a way, awakened the emotions he buried deep within his soul. It scared him. He had needed a distraction, and his first thought upon leaving the school was to come to this very diner – where he knew Helen worked.

_I usually try to avoid this place, _he thought. _But today...I don't know. I really just wanted to see her again._

Helen returned moments later with their food, and took the seat across from him. He took a bite of his sandwich, and she stabbed at her pasta half-heartedly, neither saying a word to the other for a long while.

Finally, Reed broke the silence, "I wasn't joking when I said I wanted to catch up."

"I know," she said. "But I don't know where to start...Well...I'm taking a break from school. It's getting pretty pricey for me and my family, so I thought I'd just work for the rest of this semester before going back. Maybe even the rest of the year, if worse comes to worst."

"That sucks," Reed said. "The life of an adult in general sucks. Kids in high school don't even realize how easy they have it."

"Don't say that," Helen said, shaking her head. "Everyone has their problems. Those kids still have a lot of high expectations to meet, not to mention they're forced to grow up so fast and choose what they want to do before they're even eighteen."

Reed raised an eyebrow at her. "You were ranting about them a while ago."

"No, I was ranting about the ones who are trying so hard to be cool," she corrected him. "I understand that there's this whole pressure to be something you're not, but that doesn't mean it's okay to fall under that pressure."

For some reason, the conversation reminded him strangely of his own situation.

"Anyways, how have you been?" Helen asked.

"I'm not exactly swimming in money either. Far from it, even with Dad sending me money," he said. "In fact, I should probably pick up some groceries later today. I'm out of food back home."

"And yet you come here for lunch," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Hey, making the trip to the store and then going home to cook is a lot of effort," Reed said, letting out a small laugh. "I like to conserve energy."

"Living alone must be tough," Helen said. "I still live with my parents, in their basement, because even just renting an apartment is expensive – especially when you're a student. It's just so difficult to get that balance you need in life when you're struggling to even make end's meet."

_Tell me about it._

They conversed like that for a while over food and drink, and time – to Reed – seemed to just fly by. Before he even knew it, Helen was already gathering her stuff to leave, and he trailed behind her, out the doors and back into the humid, late summer air. Reed winced as the sun shone in his eyes, and he mentally berated himself for forgetting to layer on the sunscreen.

Helen smiled at him. It was a hesitant smile, the kind that was really only a twitch of the corners of her lips, but it still reached her eyes. He found himself missing her glasses.

A question lingered at the tip of his tongue, but he decided it was better left unspoken. Instead, he said in a curt manner, "See you soon, hopefully."

"Hopefully," she said, patting him on the arm briefly before turning to go.

_Did...you find anyone else, Helen? _

**_Smash! _**

A sound similar to glass shattering resonated in his head, followed by Banshee's voice, "_Thou art I...And I am thou...Thou hast established a new bond of the Tower Arcana."_

"Bloody hell," Reed swore. "What's this about a new bond? And the hell is a Tower Arcana?"

Banshee didn't say anything to that.

"It really is going to be hard to just forget about this, isn't it?" Reed said out loud. Thankfully, a quick look around revealed that no one seemed to have heard him.

No one except Banshee, who replied this time, _Yes, it will be. One's destiny cannot be so easily defied. With power, comes responsibility and a power like this is too great to just ignore._

"That's really clichéd," Reed remarked.

_If there wasn't some truth to it, it wouldn't really be clichéd, would it? Humans draw from things they know, subconsciously or not. In any case, I suggest you talk to either Elizabeth or Victor about this. _

"Right," Reed said. "I'll talk to Liz, even though she'll likely feed me that 'Join us!' bullshit. Lunch break is over anyway. Victor should be in class by now."

_Well, I still believe you should give this whole fighting Shadows thing a try – and you believe the same, really, since I _am _you. I suppose it is a decision you shouldn't take lightly, though. Oh, but a word of advice? Don't talk to yourself in public like this. It makes you look crazy. _

This time, a group of teenage girls – who appeared to be from Richard's and in the middle of skipping class - were indeed staring at him as if he was crazy. "Charlotte, let's go," one of them whispered to their stout, over made-up friend.

"Ugh, what a psycho," she said in disgust. "Yeah, let's get out of here before he tries something."

_Jeez...Thanks for telling me now, Banshee, _he thought. _Whatever. I'll never see these girls again anyway. Better get back to Richard's..._

* * *

**-Afternoon-**

When Reed returned to the library, Elizabeth was at the counter, chin in her hand and idly flipping through a book. Somehow detecting his presence, she suddenly lifted her gaze to meet his and her lips twisted into her cheerful, but subtle smile. "Welcome back," she greeted him as he strolled up to her, hands shoved into his pockets.

"We need to talk," Reed said. "Now."

"Have you changed your mind?" Elizabeth said, putting her book down. "Because if so...It would be a pleasure to have you."

"No, I haven't changed my mind. _Yet," _Reed said. "I have questions, though. And if you don't give me the answers I need..."

She sighed. "It's not that easy...There are a lot of things I can't tell you because I don't know myself. I've already divulged a lot more information than I was supposed to."

"I think you know a lot more than you're letting on," Reed snapped.

"Perhaps. But intervening too much can have...dire consequences," Elizabeth said. "Then again, I already broke that rule many times."

"Then you have nothing to lose."

"Incorrect. I have plenty to lose," she said. "In any case, like I said before, _I don't know _much myself. But..." She paused, grabbing a scrap piece of paper and quickly scribbling a note on it. "...get Victor out of class and tell him to come down here, and we'll work everything out. It is absolutely vital that we get you to join. Can you do that?"

She passed it to him.

"...Alright...I'll get him."

"Excellent! Now off you go," she said, making a shooing gesture with one hand and picking her book up with the other.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Reed was making his return trip to the library, a reluctant Victor in tow. "Mrs. Edmond is pretty tough. I'd rather _not _miss one of her lessons," he was saying, fiddling with the zipper of his fleece.

Reed shot him a sceptical look. "What the hell is wrong with you? You were practically falling asleep in that class anyway."

"Was not!" Victor said defensively. "I was just...resting my eyes for a couple of seconds."

"Is there a zipper on your mouth by any chance?" Reed drawled, making a motion towards Victor's fleece. "Fidget with that instead. Better yet, just zip it up altogether and leave it like that for as long as you're in my presence."

"Ow, okay," Victor said, wincing. "You're cold." When the older man didn't respond, he took it as his cue to say nothing more as well. The rest of their journey down the hallway resumed in silence, to Reed's relief, though he couldn't help but notice how easily Victor had backed down. Was he the kind of person who went along with everything, who didn't care if his future was planned out for him?

It certainly seemed that why. Why else would he join in a cause like this? A cause that could potentially take his life?

Reed could just not understand no matter how hard he tried. Here he was, equipped with a powerful force that – if honed – could destroy everything in his path. When he was a child, he used to dream of taking over the world rather than saving it – but now that he had the power in his hands, the potential to do what he pleased, he couldn't even dream of doing _that._

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his flesh, and pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind once more. Numbed himself to his emotions, just as he had done for many years in the past. He entered the library once more and followed Elizabeth to one of the seminar rooms, where two others – the principal and Philosophy teacher – awaited him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. McEfflam, Victor," Margaret said, nodding to each one in turn as she addressed them. "I heard one of you was being...particularly difficult about the situation. And since Victor already agreed to join, by process of elimination, it must be you." She narrowed her eyes at Reed, who met her gaze for several moments, refusing to back down until he realized that both of them could keep at this and it was best to not challenge her so early.

"I don't see the point of everyone being here," he said, tearing his eyes away from her unnerving golden ones. "Nor do I see why it's so important for me to join your little...team."

"Goodness..." Elizabeth said under her breath.

"But..." Reed continued, shooting a glare at her. "I'm willing...to give this a chance. If it means helping people, I'll try it. On one condition, though. No, actually, two."

"What?" the siblings chorused.

"First," Reed said, lifting a finger. "I will _not _be a full-time member. Like I already told Elizabeth, I have my own life and I have to support myself, so I'll only do this during my free time." He lifted another. "Two, you have to answer my questions. I have a few."

"Full time commitment would be better, but we'll work with what we have," Elizabeth said. "Ooh, I made an alliteration."

"Riight..." Reed mumbled.

"Anyways, what are your questions?" Theodore said patiently, leaning forward in interest. "I can't guarantee we can answer everything, but we'll try."

"First, what exactly _is _Virgo?"

"Virgo is a part of a greater dimension called Seiza Jigen, which is a manifestation of sorts of the human consciousness," Margaret jumped in. "We don't know much about it, but Seiza Jigen is so far, mostly empty except for the Virgo dungeon so far. It's inhabited by beings called Shadows, manifestations of negative emotions."

"Personas are the opposite of Shadows, for the most part," Elizabeth added.

"Alright...Second, what exactly do we have to _do?" _Reed said.

"That's not something we're entirely sure of," Margaret admitted. "So far, the plan is to seal the dimensional rips and find the kidnapper, but eventually, we'll find our way to something far bigger."

"Dimensional rips?"

"Openings to the other dimension," Theo said. "Presumably, the kidnapper is using them to throw people into Seiza. Anything else?"

"Yes..." Reed said slowly. "The reason I came to see Elizabeth in the first place was because of Banshee. You see, I ran into an old friend of mine and after we parted ways...Banshee told me something about a bond of the Tower Arcana. I'm going to guess that you guys know what's going on here exactly."

His answer was silence.

Reed looked around him. Elizabeth, Margaret and Theodore were staring at him, the sisters with their eyes wide and mouths parted, and the latter with an unreadable expression on his face. Victor had shrunk into his seat, appearing uncomfortable but not in the least shocked.

"Well?" Reed prodded.

Theodore was the first to speak. "Victor...didn't you experience something similar?"

Victor nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitated and glanced at Reed uncertainly.

It took a moment for Reed to realize why. "You can unzip it now," he said, amused despite himself.

Victor, relieved, said, "Yeah, I went through something similar with Marissa. Except she was Magician Arcana instead of Tower."

"This is very odd indeed," Margaret said. "I don't understand. Only the Wild Card is capable of forming Social Links."

"Someone want to explain to me what _that _is?" Reed said.

"The bonds you create with other people in order to power up Personas of their corresponding Arcana," Elizabeth explained. "See, Social Links are crucial to fusing, but only the Wild Card can obtain more than one Persona to do so. Because of that, they're useless to other Persona users."

"Theoretically, you _can _form Social Links. Humans obviously form bonds with other humans," Margaret said. "But if you're not a Wild Card, your Persona won't announce every time you form a Social Link, because it's simply not _necessary."_

"So why you and Victor suddenly both obtained Social Links despite not possessing the Wild Card ability is very puzzling indeed," Theodore finished.

"So you guys have no frikking clue what's going on, basically," Reed said.

"Essentially," Elizabeth said cheerily. "Just another mystery to add to our list. It's already starting to grow rather long."

"Wonderful," Reed said. "Just wonderful..."

"Now, I have something to ask of _you," _Theodore said. "You were kidnapped too, so can you explain to me what happened before you landed in Virgo?"

Reed nodded. "I just remember a blow to the head, really, and waking up in Virgo. I don't know if this is important but...I was called to the computer lab to take a look at some of the computers and I was attacked on my way there."

"That's crucial information," Margaret said. "Victor was kidnapped in the hallway, as well. It means that the kidnapper has access to this property. It could be a student, a teacher, any other staff member...And you must understand that while we're not a big school by most standards, if you take into consideration the one thousand plus students, fifty five teachers, ten people who work at the office and twelve janitors, as well as all the people in tech support...It's still a lot to go through."

"It has to be someone strong enough to push someone in through...a portal of some kind, I suppose. Those dimensional rips," Victor added. "Not to mention, tall enough to blindfold us. I doubt it's a freshman. I mean, I don't think we should eliminate them entirely, but it seems unlikely."

"Did the kidnapper speak to either of you?" Theo asked.

Victor hesitated. "Yes," he said after a moment's pause. "The voice was deep. Belonged to a man, though I've never heard it before. Actually..." He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Actually...It was kind of crackly in quality...Unnatural. I don't think that was his real voice. I think...it was going through some kind of device that changed it somehow. To make it unidentifiable."

"He didn't say a word to me," Reed said. "Just knocked me right out." He winced at the memory, hazy as it was. It had been so sudden. One minute, he was making his way to the computer lab, the next he was in Virgo.

"We should definitely increase the security in the school," Theo said. "I don't know if that'll be enough to stop any of it but...it may help. It _could_ be someone who just slipped right through the doors and kidnapped whoever was alone and vulnerable. It's not like we have guards to prevent trespassers. It's possible no one spotted suspicious guy – unlikely as that is – and didn't feel the need to report him."

"We still don't have much information," Margaret said, frustrated.

"Everything will fall into place eventually," Elizabeth said, just like she had told Reed earlier. "We'll up security as planned, save the kidnapper's next targets as planned, and as for you two...Work on those Social Links. We'll go about things as we normally would, and eventually, we'll find the answers we need."

"In any case, that should be enough for now," Theodore said. "It will be a pleasure having you on the team, Reed."

"Guess we'll just have to see whether or not it will be a pleasure _being _on the team," Reed mused. "I'd say no." He rose to his feet, stretching. "Anyways, I have groceries to buy and other adult shit to get done. I'll be seeing you guys...sometime...well, when I feel like it. Later." He waved over his shoulder without looking back, just before he left.

_Being a part of this... _Reed thought on the way out. _There will be others. And maybe this really is my purpose in life and I _am _needed regardless of that fact...But it also means that I have the potential to grow close to people and drag them down with me into my Hell...I guess like Elizabeth said, I'll just have to wait for everything to fall into place after all._

**To be continued...**

* * *

**AN: **Yeah, this is the chapter that nearly murdered RoF. It was a PAIN IN THE ASS to write DX Sorry if this wasn't worth the wait, but I JUST finished it yesterday thanks to school also being a pain in the ass, and the story must go on~

Anyways, yeah, bam wham, Reed has Social Links too. Muahahaha~ You readers are probably like "WTF?" If not, you're probably like "...what?" If not THAT, you probably just don't care or saw it coming since Victor's not a Wild Card x3 As mentioned many times in the story, "Everything will fall into place eventually". YOU'LL SEE!

Next chapter features another character, who I just find epic~ See you guys next time!


	6. The Irish Rat

**-Morning: Saturday, September 13, 2014- **

Cathy awoke on that Saturday morning, in a mood just as sunny as the weather outside. She danced about the room in one sock, all the while singing the song "I Burn" at the top of her lungs. Her roommate, Noelle, groaned and covered her ears with her pillow, while Marissa mumbled into her own about cute guys, food and magic tricks.

Cathy grinned at herself in the mirror, admiring her reflection as she tied her long golden hair into a ponytail. In her humble opinion, she was the most gorgeous girl to have ever graced this planet, especially considering the fact that simply winking at a boy would cause them to walk into a nearby metal pole.

"But I'm too nice for that," she said aloud, before grabbing her red rimmed glasses off the table and resuming her song.

"Cathy, shut the hell up!" Noelle said, lifting her annoyed face from her pillow. Cathy almost laughed at the sight of the other girl, with her light brown curls a mess upon her head and her eyes bloodshot and murderous. "Some of us are trying to sleep here. It's frikking Saturday, for God's sake."

"Come on, Noelle, you're part of a band!" Cathy said. "We both are. And you do know who asked me to join in the first place right?"

Noelle just screamed her frustration into her pillow.

"I am, like, _so _regretting that now," she said, groaning, as she slipped out of bed and dragged herself to the washroom.

"Remember, we have a gig tonight!" Cathy called after her friend, finally finding her other sock in a heap of clothing. "Anyways, I have to go get my uniform so I'll see ya in a bit!" With that, she ran out of their room, only stopping to slam the door shut behind her. She ran all the way into the common room, where she ended up bumping into someone in her haste, stumbling back.

"Sorry," said the boy, who she instantly recognized as Nathaniel Locke. After all, he was in the majority of her classes, and it was hard to _not _notice him.

_He's cute_, she couldn't but think, smiling, as she gave him a quick once-over; his gray eyes in particular were gorgeous. _But I'm Catarina Marques and I'm way too busy – and awesome - to flirt. _"Nah, I should be the one saying sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going and I know that it's dangerous to run indoors but I haven't learned my lesson yet so if you excuuuuse me, I have to go!"

She bolted once more, this time making sure to pay more attention to her surroundings – though she honestly wouldn't mind bumping into another attractive guy like Nathaniel. "Maybe I should've stuck around," she mused out loud, turning the corner. "But then again, he's in some of my classes so I guess it doesn't really matter!"

She finally reeled to a halt at the office doors, where she saw a couple of other new transfer students, but mostly ninth graders. There was Victor a little ahead, a quiet boy in her Philosophy class, and Eliana right in front of her, an even quieter girl from Latin. She couldn't remember the names of the rest of them, most of whom she had never seen. "Hi!" she greeted Eliana, who jumped in fright.

"H-Hi?" the younger girl stammered, as if she was unsure whether or not Cathy was actually talking to her. "You're Catarina. In my Latin class."

"Cathy," Cathy corrected with a friendly smile. "And you're Eliana. Unless you'd prefer for me to call you Eli?"

"Eli is fine," Eliana said. "So is Eliana. It doesn't really matter to me."

"How's high school for you so far?" Cathy asked. "I know you're in the ninth grade. I'm a newbie, too, though, and I'm in tenth."

"I hate it," Eliana said. "I mean...I just started here a week ago but I can already tell that I _will _hate it...I hated middle school and I see most of the same people in my classes and...Never mind." She looked at her boots, ashamed and embarrassed, though Cathy had no clue why.

"I like it!" Cathy said. "The guys are cute, the teachers are pretty cool – except for Mr. Kayaba, he sucks – and it's so _big! _And pretty! Really different from Portugal, though. That's where I'm from, by the way."

"Uh-huh," Eliana said, her tone suggesting the conversation was already over.

"Well I have a gig tonight if you want to come! We're really awesome! It's at the Irish Rat!"

"Not allowed," was all she said, but Cathy could hear her mumbling something like, "The hell is the Irish Rat?" under her breath.

"Alright-y...I'm just going to listen to my music then..." Cathy trailed off, a little taken aback – and offended - by the other girl's abruptness. In a matter of moments, she was over it, though, and jamming out to her music as she waited in line for her uniform, not even caring about the disgruntled stares she was getting from the people around her.

Her blasting music managed to whittle away the time much quicker – though it still seemed to just drag by, too. Eventually, though, she found herself with the neatly pressed, folded uniform – encased in a clear plastic bag - in her hands. From what she'd seen of other students who already had theirs, the uniforms were quite cute in a simple way, even though she'd much rather go around in her signature outfit – black pants ripped at the knees, red T-shirt and her leather jacket.

The uniform consisted of a white dress-shirt, over which students usually wore their blue button up jacket – the girls got plaid skirts, and the guys got slacks. Cathy already knew she was going to ditch the red ribbon and keep her usual leather jacket, and judging by how other girls managed to get away with shorter than average skirts, the teachers couldn't care less.

With that thought in mind, she made her way back to her room, this time at a much slower pace than before – slow by her standards, that is, as other students would just see a girl fast-marching through the hallways with a clear destination and purpose in mind. In reality, though, she had no real destination in mind at all – her attention went from the cute boy throwing a football at his friend, to the group of snobby popular kids who had long since declared the middle of the hallway as their property.

_How annoying, _she thought. _Can't they at least move to the side so I can get through? Inconsiderate arses..._

"Hey! Blondie!" a familiar voice said from behind her. She didn't even need to turn around to see who it was, though she did so regardless. Nikkos, her band-member, was strolling up to her casually, hands shoved into his pockets. "We're all going out for breakfast this morning. You know, to celebrate us finally getting a gig after all this time and crap. I was planning on not inviting you since I'm paying, but Noelle said we had to, so let's get going."

Cathy raised her eyebrows, but decided not to question it, and shrugged. "Alright, sounds great! Where are we eating?"

"Only the _best _diner in town. Well, the best cheap one anyway," Nikkos added as an afterthought. "They make some killer pancakes. You like pancakes better than waffles right? I mean, waffles are frikking nasty..."

"Uhhh...I beg to differ?" Cathy said with a sheepish grin. "Waffles are pretty awesome."

"Ugh, you're just like Jacob," Nikkos said. Despite his words, he didn't sound disgusted or annoyed at all. If anything, judging by the look on his face, he seemed like he was deep in thought. Cathy had no idea who Jacob was, but she didn't particularly care either, and pushed Nikkos forward.

"Hurry, I'm suddenly in the mood for waffles!"

"Calm down, Blondie. We're getting there," Nikkos said, but quickened the pace regardless, leading her back the way she'd came. Cathy followed hot on his tail, though if she knew where the diner was, she would've just rushed ahead and left him in the dust. That clearly was not an option, so she instead decided to try to talk to her difficult, snobbish band member – _key word being try, _she thought.

"Soo...Are you excited for the gig?" she asked.

"Ehhh...Sure, I guess. I mean...it won't be the same without Jacob, but you'll do," Nikkos said, eying her in a somewhat critical manner, then scowling and looking away. He mumbled something under his breath, but she wasn't quite able to pick it up.

This finally piqued her interest about this mysterious 'Jacob' character. "Who's that?" she said.

"The old frontman of our band," Nikkos said, shrugging. The two had just entered the foyer, where Noelle and Simon were waiting at the front doors, the former broadly waving and the latter looking bored with a toothpick in his mouth.

"Hey guys!" Noelle said, her sour mood from earlier that morning long gone. Simon, predictably, just nodded at them.

"I told you guys to meet us there," Nikkos said irritably.

"You're not Jacob, so you don't get to boss us around," Noelle said. "Plus, waiting there for you guys would be _so _boring with just Simon!"

_Why do they keep mentioning Jacob? _Cathy thought, annoyed, but she decided not to voice it.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go. We're wasting time here." Nikkos led the way once again, Noelle smacking him with one of her drumsticks as he passed and muttering "jerk" under her breath. The band made their way as a group to the diner, walking along the sidewalk that unfortunately only had room for two people to go side-by-side. Cathy found herself alongside Simon, while Nikkos and Noelle chattered away about trivial things Cathy couldn't care less about.

"So, Simon...Do you ever talk?" she asked.

"Yes," Simon said, to her surprise. His voice was deep and gruff, the kind you'd expect from a much larger, hulking man – though she supposed it was fitting considering he looked a couple years older than he really was, with his beard and all.

"So...Talk to me then! About anything! I don't care what! I'm so bored..." But all he did was shoot her an annoyed stare, silent once more and clearly expecting her to stay the same.

Cathy sighed. _It's not like I can force him to talk..._ She couldn't help but feel left out, in this group of people who had been friends long before they even knew she existed, but there was no point in dwelling on it. At least they had accepted her as a member of the band, if not as one of them.

So she put in her earphones and tuned the world out, like she always did when she wasn't feeling as on top of the world, all the while kicking pebbles along the sidewalk, hands shoved into the pockets of her leather jacket. In her distraction, she ended up bumping into Nikkos's back, and it was only then that she realized they were there.

"Watch it, klutz," Nikkos snapped as Noelle stood against the door, impatiently keeping it open for them.

"Jeez, what's your problem?" Cathy said, narrowing her eyes at him as she took off the headphones. He opened his mouth to say something, but at Noelle's venomous glare, simply let out a noise of disgust instead and went through the door.

"Ignore him," Noelle said. "He's usually like that."

"But why?" Cathy couldn't help but ask. "I didn't do anything to him."

Noelle shrugged. "Some people are just really mean. He's not that bad once you get to know him but he's...high strung, I guess. See? I used a big word there!"

Cathy decided not to mention that "high strung" was two words. She just smiled and said, "Awesome," as they made their way to the table Simon and Nikkos were sitting at. Nikkos was studying the menu, only looking up when the waitress tapped him on the shoulder to take his order.

It was only after she left that Cathy noticed that Nikkos hadn't even asked the rest of the group.

She was about to say something about it, but was cut off by Noelle saying, "You know, I remember the last time we came here, I shoved Simon's ice cream down his shirt."

"Oh yeah, that was the first time I _ever _heard him cuss someone out!" Nikkos said, grinning. "And the way he squirmed too. Pure gold."

"I know, we were all dying of laughter." Noelle let out a small laugh, whereas Simon just crossed his arms and sulked. "And then he poured my chocolate milkshake all over me. We were almost banned from this place."

"And you _still_ didn't get any boys in your yard," Nikkos taunted, earning a kick under the table. "Ow!"

"That joke is getting so old now, honestly..."

"Well it's not my fault you're not nearly as hot as me," he said. "I attract both girls _and _boys. Just the other day..."

Cathy slumped in her seat, not knowing what to do or say but just wait for the food to arrive. She could just tune them out once again, but her mother had taught her years ago not to listen to music at the table and she wasn't about to do that now, whether she was invisible to them or not.

Bit by bit, the food arrived. First, the milkshakes. She found herself with a strawberry one, topped with whipped cream and syrup. Not the one she would've ordered herself, but it's not like she _detested _strawberry. She could deal with it for now, especially since the others were still too preoccupied to listen, what with Nikkos laughing at Noelle's choice of chocolate milkshake and Noelle calling him names all the while fighting a smile.

_They get along so well, _Cathy thought. _I mean, they have their fights but they still obviously care about each other..._

Next, the actual food, which varied from person to person. Nikkos had a stack of chocolate chip pancakes topped with fresh berries, over which he poured maple syrup. Noelle opted for a much bigger stack of something she called a "Crepe Suzette", which Cathy found rather strange-looking, as it was drowning in an unfamiliar sauce. Simon, meanwhile, was wolfing down a breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns.

All this in comparison to her meager serving of waffles with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. "Hey, this isn't what I-"

"Later, Blondie," Nikkos said dismissively.

Cathy bit back an angry comment. _Not worth making a scene over, _she thought. _It's a small thing. And anyways, if he gets any worse later...Well, I'll give him a piece of my mind when we're alone._

With that in mind, she relaxed and quietly ate her breakfast. As soon as she finished – much sooner than everyone else, with their large portions and distracted chatter – she stood up, excusing herself with a, "I better get going. I have some stuff to get done before tonight."

"Aww, see you tonight then, Cathy," Noelle said, smiling. Nikkos shrugged and waved her off.

"You better be on time for set up," was all he said.

"Right," Cathy said. "I'll be there."

When she glanced over her shoulder, she noticed that they hadn't watched her go. They were back to normal in seconds, with or without her.

* * *

Upon returning to her dorm, Cathy noticed a certain boy sitting alone in the common rooms, flipping through what appeared to be a sketchbook. She weighed her options: leave him alone and go back to her room to practice, or talk to him. She _had _suddenly bolted on him earlier that morning, plus she supposed it wouldn't hurt to make more friends.

She took a deep breath, before approaching him. He did not look up, too focused on what he was doing. "Hey," she said, but immediately regretted it. _I don't think it's a good idea to disturb him... _The single word was already out, though, and there was nothing she could do to take it back.

Nathaniel looked up at her. He smiled at her in such a way that quenched any doubts she had, and shifted over a little to allow her room to sit. She smiled back, and did so. "Hi," he said. "You were really in a hurry this morning, huh?"

"Sorry about that," she said. "I do that a lot...So uhm, what are you drawing?"

"At the moment? Nothing," he said. "Just looking over old stuff. Wondering what went wrong with them. Like see this one from grade nine? Of the eye? I got 9.8 out of 10 on it."

"Uhh...What kind of teacher gives 9.8 out of 10?" Cathy said, confused, as she leaned over his shoulder to look. She really could not see anything wrong with Nathaniel's drawing, in comparison to the original photo beside it. To her, they looked exactly alike. "It's really good! I could never shade like that."

"I've spent forever trying to figure out what's wrong with it, but I just can't," he said. "Either way, it was from a year ago. No point in asking her now."

"Yeah, it's not good to focus on the past too much! Just keep getting better!" Cathy said.

"Right. I have an average of 100% in Art right now," he said. "I've gotten a lot better since last year. I just have to maintain that."

"Whoa...That's...Can I see the rest?" Nathaniel nodded, passing the sketchbook towards her. It was a battered thing, falling apart, with the back cover not even attached and the coil binding undone.

As if reading her thoughts, he said sheepishly, "Our sketchbooks were rip-offs. I didn't actually _do _anything to it. It kind of...did that on its own."

Cathy flipped through pages and pages worth of sketches: of beautiful women, of sweeping landscapes, of imaginative monsters and fascinating optical illusions and everything worth drawing. Some of them weren't marked; most of them had scored perfect.

"You should draw me sometime," she said. She intended it as a joke, but he went along with it nonetheless.

"Me?" Nathaniel said. "No, I couldn't possibly do you justice. Not when I get 9.8 out of 10 on an eye of all things."

"Aww, well...Maybe when you perfect it then," Cathy said. As she returned the sketchbook, she added jokingly, "People _do _say my eyes are my best features. You _have_ to get them perfect, or it just isn't me."

"I have to agree with them. But one of these days, it _will_ happen." He accepted it, and for the most fleeting of moments, their hands brushed. She felt the slightest flutter of butterflies and her cheeks warming up. Nathaniel, however, didn't seem to notice, as he continued, "By the way, I heard you have a gig tonight."

"Uh-huh," she said. "At the Irish Rat. Are you going?"

"I wasn't sure before, but it would be rude to refuse now, wouldn't it?" He laughed. It was a warm, pleasant sound. "I'll definitely be there. I-"

He was interrupted by a girl's voice shouting, "Nathaniel!"

He winced.

"I'm sorry, I better go handle that," he told her. "See you later then?"

"Yeah, I should go practice anyway," she said, smiling.

"Good luck with your gig!" Nathaniel said. "I'm sure you'll do great."

She stared after him for a while, curiously, as a pretty brunette chewed him out in a low, dangerous voice. Cathy couldn't help but feel sorry for him, as he looked much like a kicked puppy, though it wasn't her place to intervene. _I should ask him about it later, though, in case it's his girlfriend or something..._

She got up to leave as well, but she couldn't stop herself from thinking of that gorgeous smile or lilting accent even after she picked up her guitar to practice.

* * *

**-Evening-**

"So all the equipment is set up," Noelle reported to the rest of the band back stage, which Nikkos acknowledged with a nod before excusing himself to go check on it one last time, leaving them to their own devices. There were still around twenty minutes to go before the show began, and the band used that time to do as they pleased. Simon sat there, testing his bass, while Noelle took a seat next to a grumbling Cathy. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"High heels," Cathy said simply, massaging her sore feet with one hand while gesturing to the pair of black high heeled boots lying on the floor with her other. "They're birtches to wear."

"They're nice," Noelle said. "But why would you wear them if they hurt?"

Cathy looked at her in disbelief, her brow furrowed and her mouth open in a small 'o'. "Why would you even ask that?!" she exclaimed, poking Noelle in the shoulder. "This is a huge deal! This is a gig for God's sake, you're supposed to look ridiculously sexy, and high heels were _made _for that purpose! In fact, why aren't you wearing any?!"

Noelle gazed down at her own choice of combat boots. "Uhh...Because it doesn't matter?" she said. "I'm the drummer. I just have to hit stuff!"

Cathy shook her head. "You're not doing it right," she said. "But whatever." She went over to the mirror to make some last minute touch-ups on her makeup and hair, which for once was down and flowing down her shoulders, though her sunglasses were still in their rightful place. _I look pretty damn good, _she thought, admiring her reflection in the mirror after cleaning up any smudges around her eyes and reapplying her lipstick.

"Are you nervous?" Noelle asked.

"Me? Nervous?" Cathy said. "Why would I be nervous? I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

"Well, you _are _the lead singer," Noelle said. "And the guitarist, too. That's a lot of pressure. It's okay to admit that you're nervous, Cathy."

"Well, I'm not," Cathy snapped. "I'll do great out there, you'll see. I never get nervous over stuff like this."

"I never said you wouldn't. I just-"

"Everything's alright. No technical errors or anything. I went over everything with that ginger dude, too," Nikkos said, unknowingly cutting her off. "We don't have much longer until the gig. You guys ready for the time of your lives?"

"Yeah!" the girls cheered. Simon just shrugged, as expected.

"Let's do this shit then," Nikkos said.

Cathy adjusted the white scarf around her neck and unzipped her leather jacket, before putting on her boots once more. She stood in them, at first wincing at the pain, but forcing herself to walk in them anyway to join the rest of the group by their respective instruments. _You have to go through a lot of pain for the things you love, _her grandfather had told her once.

She wiped her hands on her jeans before picking up her trusted guitar – and best friend - Hayley. _I'm not nervous, _she thought stubbornly. _But...Maybe I shouldn't have snapped at Noelle so much this past half an hour. She's the only one in the band who's actually nice to me._

It didn't matter anyway. She was too prideful to apologize.

_"Making a great return after the departure of its old frontman, Jacob Jones, is our beloved band Lunar Flare! Everyone give a warm round of applause for our new guitarist and lead singer, Catarina Marques!"_

As the curtains parted, a roar of applause rippled through the crowd. Cathy searched it for Nathaniel, who she spotted with several other boys in her grade, cheering at the top of their lungs. She tightened her grip on Hayley for a split second, then relaxed.

_Let's rock this, girl, _she thought.

The performance began with Noelle's beat, followed by Cathy strumming out the intro of the instrumental and Simon joining in. The audience took this as their cue to quiet down, and Cathy took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut, before approaching the microphone and beginning to sing, the lyrics ringing throughout the nightclub. The music continued in the background and from her guitar, song after song, until it finally ended with the last note still hanging in the air.

The crowd exploded into applause once more, screaming. Cathy smiled as the band bowed, before rushing off the stage, the curtains closing behind them. From where they left off, the DJ – Reed McEfflam – continued with his mixes.

"We did great out there!" Noelle said, pumping her fist in the air. "Especially you, Cathy! Wow!"

"Meh, you did okay," Nikkos said. "The audience loved us anyway, so it doesn't matter. That was still fun."

"Yeah," Cathy said breathlessly. "It was. It really was."

"Anyways, we're going to go get some drinks if you'd like to join us," Noelle said.

"No, she still needs a fake ID," Nikkos interjected. "She doesn't look twenty one at all, but we can still try."

"Really? The drinking age in Portugal is sixteen..." Cathy said. "Oh well, I'll have to pass on the alcohol. I'll join you guys in a bit, though."

Nikkos and Noelle shrugged, but nodded, before following Simon to the bar. Cathy set Hayley down, before sitting beside it, taking a moment to contemplate the events of that evening.

"We did great tonight, Hayley," she said out loud. "We'll prove it to the rest of them, okay? We'll prove it that we're just as good as them, that we belong here. It'll be tough, but not out of our reach. Even Cosse will see it eventually."

That was the last thing she remembered before a sudden pain exploded in her head, and everything went black.

**To be continued...**


	7. Mistress of Strings

**Chapter 7**

**-Late Night: Saturday, September 13, 2014- **

_"Victor, this is bad," _Reed said on the other end of the line. Victor had his cell phone pressed to his ear, supported by his shoulder, as he played his videogame, and winced at the not quite panicked, but still alarmed tone of his teammate's voice.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

_"It's that girl," _Reed explained. _"Catarina Marques. She's the next victim. The Velvet Siblings were monitoring activity in Virgo, and her presence was detected there. When they told me, I went backstage and sure enough, she wasn't there. Her guitar was."_

Victor dropped his controller.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." he swore. "On the night where Nikkos and Simon aren't here to harass me. What kind of creeper sneaks backstage to kidnap someone anyway?"

"The same creeper that is throwing innocents into alternate dimensions," Reed said dryly. "In any case, I'll be there in a few minutes. I'll meet you at Margaret's office, alright?"

"Got it," Victor said, before hanging up. He switched off his game and took a moment to stretch, before sneaking out of his room. He made sure to lock it behind him, and tucked the keys into his pocket. When he turned around to leave, he ended up almost bumping into Myla.

"Hey, Victor," she greeted him. "Where are you headed off to?"

"Oh...Uhh...Just off to meet up with some friends," Victor said. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you? I mean, it being past curfew and all..."

"Nah, I'm going to go smoke some pot with my boyfriend and some friends anyway," she said bluntly. "You're welcome to join anytime. But your secret is safe with me either way."

"Maybe next time," he said, smiling.

Myla shrugged, then nodded, before they parted ways. Victor let out a small sigh of relief when she was out of earshot.

After that, he didn't have much trouble getting out of the dorms or even through the school. It was completely silent this late at night, not to mention dark. He cursed himself for not bringing a flashlight, but regardless managed to navigate himself through the hallways with the dim glow of his phone.

It took him a lot longer than he expected, but eventually, he found himself at the principal's office. The fact that the lights were on inside helped guide him, and taking a deep breath, he turned the doorknob.

Reed was already there with Margaret and Elizabeth, the former sprawled out across the sofa and the latter two stirring steaming cups of tea. Theodore, however, was missing.

"Sorry, sneaking around the school at night is not exactly the quickest thing. You know, it being dark and-"

"Zip it, Victor," Reed said. "What matters is that you're here now." He jumped to his feet and retrieved the pistol lying on the table, not wasting any time in heading towards the portal. Victor hurriedly grabbed his sword belt, strapped it onto himself and tucked his sheathed rapier where it belonged, before following.

"Wait! Before you go," Elizabeth said, intercepting them. She uncurled her hand, revealing little earpieces nestled snugly in her glove. Reed's eyes widened as he grabbed it like a child being handed a toy, eagerly putting it on. Victor accepted it with hesitance and a cautious look on his face, as if he was afraid it was going to transform into a Shadow. "That way, you can communicate with each other."

Margaret gave them each a device, which looked much like an older model of a GPS. "Tracking devices," she said. "That way, you can find each other should you get separated. Persona users are the white dots, Shadows are the red. Access points are the orange. Stairs are well...stairs. It'll map out the dungeon the further you go."

"Useful," Victor commented. "Especially for the directionally challenged. Like...uh, me. Thanks, you two."

"Yeah, thanks," Reed grunted, his brief moment of childishness fading in an instant. "Now, let's go kick some Shadow ass and save that damsel in distress."

_I don't think Cathy would appreciate being called a damsel, _Victor couldn't help but think as the two entered Virgo.

* * *

**-Virgo Dungeon: First Floor-**

_"Cathy has been detected on the sixth floor,"_ Margaret informed them telepathically moments after they found themselves in the dungeon. _"It's best that you two make your way up on foot to get some more training in. Victor, you've been slacking off on explorations and Reed, you just joined, so you both need to get stronger."_

"In my defense," Victor protested. "The past few days have been hectic, what with Reed joining and Mr. Kayaba piling on the homework."

_"I do not particularly care. You can make up for that now," _she said. _"Regardless. Corvus is on the fifth floor guarding the stairs so you need to get through him before you can save her. You best make haste, before Cathy falls prey to her own demon. Ask me if you need anything."_

"Thanks for the tip," Victor said sarcastically, unsheathing his rapier. He looked to Reed, who had his pistol at the ready, and gave him a nod. "Let's get going."

The floor – completely devoid of Shadows – posed no trouble at all for the two of them. The second, however, more than compensated for the first, as Victor could distinguish the uneasy shifting of Shadows itching for human prey in every hallway.

"I think we should split up," he suggested. "That way, we can get more training in. It'll be easier to find the stairs as well."

"Want to get rid of me already?" Reed said, smirking. "Whatever. I'll be just fine on my own. See you later, buddy." He strolled off at his leisure pace in the opposite direction of Victor, who jogged to engage in combat with a Shadow.

It was a Merciless Maya, the red-masked counterpart of the Cowardlies, which Victor easily disposed of with a Bufu and a thrust of his rapier. The golden light at the very tip of the Mannaz rune faded. He flexed his wrist, brimming with energy, and itching to get to the sixth floor already. Running through these weak shadows felt like a waste of time. _Patience, _Gelos reminded him, speaking for the first time since he met Marissa.

_I'm patient, _Victor thought. _This dungeon is just beyond boring. Can you blame me?_

Gelos said nothing more.

"...Damn...it!" Reed's voice broke through the earpiece, crackly in quality at first but gradually getting clearer. "Damn _you, _Victor! You didn't tell me that most of these guys were resistant to fire. My fire attacks are barely doing anything."

"It's called using your gun," Victor said. "Or running from a fight you can't win."

"Real men never back down!" Reed shouted. The _clack! _of what Victor assumed to be his pistol colliding against a Shadow resonated. "Damn...guns...and limited...ammo!"

Victor cringed at its pained shrieks as it underwent the beat-down of its life. "Don't you think you're going a little...far?" he said as he thrust his rapier into the gooey flesh of another Shadow. It was a Muttering Tiara this time, which went down quicker than the Maya.

"These are the embodiments of negative human emotions we're talking about," Reed stated. A gunshot cracked in the air. Victor could hear it startlingly clear even from where he was standing, meaning his partner was still close. "I don't think I need to hold back. Anyways, I'll tell you when I find the stairs, alright? ...I found a treasure chest. It better not be booby trapped."

"They usually aren't," Victor said. "Don't worry about it. Anyways, I'm sure you can handle whatever's in it."

"Money," Reed said. "It's like...ten bucks. You know, Vic, I could get used to this. Finding money in random treasure chests, I mean. In fact...We could become rich off of this shit."

Victor laughed. The brief moment of distraction allowed a Shadow to ambush him, knocking him to the ground with an Agi, and then another. He got up, wincing, the skin on his arms blackened with burns and his face stinging from what he assumed to be more of them. "My skin...!" he ground out between gritted teeth. "Gelos! Bufu! NOW!"

The Muttering Tiara was destroyed in seconds.

"Asshole,' he said darkly. "I work hard to maintain my perfect skin, damn you." It was only now that he was starting to feel dizzy, exhausted and in excruciating pain from getting hit by Agi – his one weakness – not once, but _twice. _"Ugh...Reed, you have healing spells right?"

"Dia," Reed confirmed. "Why? Got your ass beaten by a Shadow?"

"Shut the hell up. I still won," Victor said. "Are you close to the stairs by any chance?"

"Actually, yes. You're in luck, chap," Reed said. "Go ahead. Stalk me. I dare you. You know you want this hot ginger."

"One, I'm not really into freckles. Second, brunettes are cuter," Victor said, fishing out his tracking device. "And finally, I'm not gay. Everyone thinks I am for some reason. It's not my fault I love having fabulous hair and skin..."

"Just hurry before you get ambushed again, dumbass. We have someone else's ass to save."

Victor complied with a sigh, using his rapier as support whenever a wave of dizziness washed over him and his steps got unsteady. When he saw another Shadow, he weighed his options. Run past, or attack first and get it over with. He realized that he probably didn't have what it took to just slip by, especially since the blobs had uncannily good senses, so he settled on the latter.

It took a while – and he stumbled upon a treasure chest or two on the way - but he finally found Reed waiting for him by the stairs, counting money and taking inventory of any other supplies. "About time," he mumbled, rising and fixing Victor with a weird gaze. "Man, you don't look so hot right now. Not that you ever did but..."

"Just heal me."

"Banshee," Reed said calmly, his finger forming what Elizabeth had called the 'Sowilo' rune in the air. It resembled a weird 'S' shape, or even a lightning bolt in a way.

Banshee appeared, and when ordered to use her Dia spell, began singing a haunting melody that sent chills down Victor's spine, "Da Rana é Minaw Hoosala Õ, Øh Phisyo Rana é Mika ä, Sä Ala Õ, Øh Phina." She placed a hand on Victor's, and a golden light – dimmer than Elizabeth's healing spell – washed over him. The burns vanished at once, not even leaving a trace of a scar.

_It's weird how she sings her healing spells when the original Banshee of the legend wails to announce the dead, _Victor thought. _But then again, this whole 'Persona' thing is pretty weird..._

"We should stick together from now on," Reed decided. "This floor was just full of shit."

Victor found himself agreeing.

* * *

**-Virgo Dungeon: Fifth Floor-**

After three equally tiring floors, the duo was finally ready to face Corvus. They approached the giant crow tentatively, Victor with his rapier held out before him and Reed with his pistol loaded. Corvus just gazed at them with blood-red eyes, waiting for its moment to strike.

Victor gulped. "You...you attack first," he said, pushing Reed forward. "That thing gives me the creeps...It just..._stares_..." In a way, it reminded him of Simon.

"Whimp," Reed muttered. "Hey, crow-face! Eat my bullets!" He shot the crow, once, then twice. Corvus cawed in outrage, taking to the air immediately. It seemed more annoyed at the noises than in pain at having a pair of bullets embedded into its feathery chest.

_"Margaret! Its weaknesses!" _Victor ordered in his head.

Margaret responded at once. _"Weak to Zio, resistant to Pierce. Reflects Bufu, nulls Hama and Mudo. In other words, Gelos won't be able to use his Bufu skills, and Reed should refrain from using his gun as it will deal minimal damage." _

"Got it," Victor said. "Reed, you heard that?"

Reed grumbled under his breath. "Stupid crow...Ruining my damn moment..."

The crow flapped its wings, unleashing a blast of air that sent Victor and Reed back a few paces, but not completely off their feet. In retaliation, the two summoned their Personas, Banshee blasting fire and Gelos launching a bladed fist. Corvus screeched again, swooping down to attack, beak appearing startlingly sharp and sword-like.

Victor braced himself, and just a few seconds before he was struck, made a deep thrust into Corvus's chest, in between the bullet holes. Corvus's pupils dilated as it struggled, flapping his wings furiously, trying to escape from its impalement. Reed used the opportunity to summon Banshee for another Agi that scorched a few feathers right off.

Victor pulled out the blade, a burst of ichor flying out at him. He almost threw up at the sight of it coating his fleece, but instead shook his head and focused once again on the fray. Corvus didn't seem to be faring well, he realized. It was just the first floor guardian they were facing, and it was all alone, with just wind spells and strike attacks that dealt out normal damage.

"Let's try to finish this soon," he told Reed. "What other spells do you know besides Agi and Dia?"

"Poisma," Reed said. "It's pointless, though. No guaranteed results, waste of time. Who needs status inflicting spells anyhow? Banshee, Agi!"

Another burst of fire struck Corvus. Victor lunged at it again, this time making a quick slashing motion in an X-formation. Corvus smacked him with a wing in response, tossing him to the ground, winded. Banshee, while it was distracted with trying to dispose of Victor, bombarded it with Agi spell after Agi spell, channeled from her trail of Will-O-Wisps.

Corvus ran towards Reed this time on its long, twiggy legs, beak at the ready. Reed leapt away right at the last second, smirking in satisfaction when the giant crow collapsed against the ground, just as Victor rose back to his feet.

_"Here's your chance for an All Out Attack!" _Margaret said. "_You can use one whenever you knock all enemies down, and have more than two teammates at the ready. Just attack it at once!"_

Victor nodded at Reed, who did the same back.

A beat-down ensued, Corvus completely helpless and vulnerable as Victor and Reed pounded into it with all they had, with Reed dealing the last blow that killed it. A mass of feathers floated to the ground as Corvus itself dissipated in a flash of red light.

_"Congratulations," _Elizabeth suddenly shouted.

"That was too easy," Victor said, sheathing his rapier. "_Way _too easy."

"I'm exhausted, though," Reed admitted, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "That last attack was awesome, but I'm totally spent, man." He smirked. "To think, you were about to wet your pants when you first saw him."

"Oh shut up!" Victor's cheeks heated up and he set off towards the stairs at a brisk pace so his teammate wouldn't notice. "Wish we could go back, but we have one more floor to go through. It's not much farther." He hurried up two at a time, Reed lagging a couple of steps behind him. When they arrived on the next floor, they couldn't but notice the layout was a bit different.

A couple of straggly trees were growing out of the ground, their massive roots exposed and supporting rotting carcasses, and fabrics from war banners clinging to their branches. Bushes, too, were spotted throughout the floor. Victor shuddered. The sixth floor had gotten a lot creepier...

"Split up again?" Reed suggested.

Victor shook his head vehemently. "No. Remember the second floor? It's better that we just stick together. Who knows what we'll have to face? Plus, look at all these bodies..."

_"The Shadows on this floor seem more agitated," _Margaret warned. _"Be careful."_

Victor checked his tracking device. The map of the floor was dotted with red. In the shadows, he could make out the gleaming red eyes of their living embodiments. He gulped. One of them lunged from across the room – practically flew.

A bullet pierced it midair, and it landed on the ground hard, shifting into its hostile form. Reed swore aloud from beside him as more blobs gathered around them. _"Why are the Shadows behaving like this?" _Elizabeth said, sounding concerned. _"They shouldn't be. A single Shadow can split into many hostile forms, but so many of them in docile form at once...Will they...?"_

Her concerns were confirmed when, as one, the Shadows screeched and threw themselves at the boys. Muttering Tiaras and Cowardly Mayas and Merciless ones, all dripping ichor onto the floor as they crawled their way up, attempting to drown their prey in their sheer numbers.

"Fuck!" Reed shouted. "I can't form my rune!"

_"A multiple target skill would really help right now," _Elizabeth said nervously. _"Damn it! I'm on my way! I'll be there in a few minutes!"_

_"No, Elizabeth!" _came Margaret's angered shout.

Victor punched his arm free and hurriedly formed his rune in the air before another Shadow could stop him. Gelos appeared in an instant, charging up Bufu after Bufu. The golden symbol imprinted on Victor's wrist was depleted to zero within minutes and faded away, and it still wasn't enough to free them completely beyond allowing Reed to summon Banshee.

He, too, was tired out after abusing Agi as much as he could. Victor managed to wrestle out his rapier from the greedy claws of Shadows and tore through them. He stumbled out, several of them still clinging to his shoulders, and slashed through the few still hindering Reed.

"We have to run!" he said. He blindly did so, hearing the sound of feet pounding behind him that signalled that Reed was hot on his heels. Shadows flew off him, unable to hold on at the speed he was going at, and Reed helped to lift them and toss them away, or smack them with his gun. Victor shot the older man a look of relief over his shoulder, just as they broke through a fog.

It was devoid of Shadows, but the unconscious form of Cathy lay sprawled on the ground.

"I remember this," he breathed. "Reed, when I went to save you, I went through a fog. It disappeared after I ran through it, and there were no Shadows. And there you were, lying on the ground. And that butterfly..."

A blue butterfly fluttered away from where it was once perched, in the long golden locks fanned out beneath her head.

"...it flew away and then the Shadow appeared."

A figure emerged from the shadows, as if on cue, inspecting Cathy with a look of distaste etched on her pretty face. "She's not nearly as pretty as me," she said, her voice neither as cheery nor as sweet as Cathy's. It was snobbish, the kind you'd hear from one of the filthy rich Barbies strutting through the hallways on high heels.

Victor tensed, rapier at the ready, but Cathy's Shadow paid him no attention. Instead, she knelt down and caressed her original's face, cooing, "Wake up, sweetie."

Cathy's blue eyes fluttered open, meeting the narrowed golden ones of her other self.

"Where am I?" she whispered. She pushed herself up into a sitting position with her elbows, rubbing her eyes and blinking them into focus. She took a quick look around her, where they first landed on the shattered pair of sunglasses beside her. "Hey! Those were expensive!" She snatched them and shoved them onto her head regardless, before she finally decided to take a look at the other girl before her, waiting for an answer.

"Hi!" Shadow Cathy greeted with a creepy, shark-like smile. Victor couldn't help but notice that all of the Shadow Selves he'd seen so far possessed that characteristic. "I'm Catarina Marques. Nice to meet you."

"Really? That's my name! You kind of look like me, too," Cathy said, grinning. "I've always wanted golden eyes, you know. Except yours are kind of ugly and creepy. Too glow-y, too. There's no way the guys would want me if I had yours. And don't even get me started on your teeth. Have you ever considered visiting a dentist?" She let out a low whistle. "Don't know if he'd be able to help you with _those, _though."

Victor raised an eyebrow. _Uhhh...Okay then...That's a rather...strange way to interact with your Shadow..._

Reed's face dropped into his palm.

A hand clamped onto Victor's shoulder, at first startling him, but he relaxed within seconds when Elizabeth said, "I'm here. Sorry I couldn't get to you in time." She gazed past him at where the two Cathy's were facing off, and sighed. "Not much we can do. She has the potential. It's her battle to fight from here."

"Haha, so we have a comedian here," the Shadow said. Her expression darkened. "You think you're so funny, don't you? Not just funny. Oh no. You think you're beautiful, talented, God's gift to humanity itself. Am I wrong?"

"No, not really!" Cathy said, not skipping a beat. "I'm pretty awesome. If you have a problem with that, then you can get lost. I don't have time for people like you."

"People like me?" Shadow Cathy raised an eyebrow, appearing intrigued.

"Yeah. You know, negative people. People trying to bring others down. Always raining on everyone's parade," Cathy explained, examining her nails. "You want to tell me how to leave now? Ooh! Wait! Is this the part where I get superpowers? Like in the stories?"

"You're not taking this seriously at all!" her lookalike snapped. "I could _kill _you! Right now!"

"Then why don't you?" Cathy didn't appear impressed at all. "You're all talk. It's kind of annoying actually. Not to mention, killing me over something this stupid? You sound like a bratty five year old. Are you done now?"

"No!" the Shadow seethed. "Because you know what you need to get into your empty little head? Life isn't as happy and perfect as you make it out to be! You think you can just get through it without taking anything seriously, but you're wrong! You're just a superficial little girl with absolutely no depth to speak of."

Cathy tensed, so slightly that Victor barely noticed. Her eyes were narrowed, but she had yet to lose her cool. "Oh?"

"Yes," Shadow Cathy said. "And because of that, you will never live up to your grandfather's expectations. You know, big name rock star. Had to retire early due to an injury that kept him from playing. His children didn't want to continue his legacy, but then _you _were born. And he taught you everything."

"I know my life story...You don't need to announce it for the world to hear." Cathy's gaze flicked to the side, to where Victor, Reed and Elizabeth stood, waiting. Victor opened his mouth to say something, but she looked away to face her Shadow once more.

"When you become famous, the world willhear it anyway," the doppelganger continued. "Too bad they won't remember it. Your songs aren't anything special. Anything unique. It's just the same concepts in every single band ever, repeated over and over again. No real meaning behind them, either. As if you really know what you're singing about – as if you have the ability to emotionally invest yourself into your music. The fans will adore you because of your looks and voice, but eventually those will fade too. And you think they'll adore you forever, you think your music will still be listened to when you're old, but then you look around in sixty years and realize there's no one."

Cathy's eyes widened at that, not quite knowing what to say. Everything that had been said before was superficial, the kind of things she was supposed to ignore because she was above all that.

But this...hit too close to home.

"If, of course, you don't become like your grandfather," the Shadow taunted. "A poor, poor victim to drugs, trying to escape the pressure of stardom. And then...before you know it...Found dead in his home, from an overdose."

Cathy's composed facade cracked in that instant. Fell apart completely within seconds. She crossed the distance between herself and her doppelganger, her fist connecting with the face that looked so much like her. She drew back, her knuckles encrusted with the ichor that dripped down the Shadow's nose. Their eyes met, reflecting the same anger and hatred.

"Shut up," Cathy spat. "You talk too much."

"And you don't?" her other self retorted, her own fist jolting out all of a sudden and catching Cathy in the lip. Real blood dribbled down her chin, and she spat it out onto the ground. "You're me! And I'm you! The Shadow, the true self! Everything you say against me is just a reflection of what you think about yourself!"

"I don't think of myself as an ugly birtch!" Cathy retaliated with a swift uppercut, jerking the Shadow's head back. "Which is exactly what you are!"

"Should we stop them?" Victor asked.

Reed shook his head. "No. If this is supposed to be her _destiny,_" he spat out that one word, "then she can handle this herself...Besides. Is this seriously your first time seeing a catfight? It's not a turn-on for me at all since she's underage, but you, my good sir..." He smirked.

"What? No!" Victor shook his head furiously, flustered.

The Shadow was kneed in the stomach and as she keeled over, Cathy grabbed her by the hair and pulled her close. "Get this into your head," she said dangerously. "Nothing you say will ever bring me down. I won't be like my grandfather! Don't you dare say otherwise!"

Shadow Cathy simply spat into her face. "Idiot. You can deny it all you want, but in the end, you're scared! You're scared that you'll lose everything you've worked for! Your bandmates don't even give a crap about you. All they care about is Jacob. Jacob this, Jacob that! I bet you that if Jacob ever returns, you'll be gone in an instant! Kicked to the curb!"

Cathy was breathing heavily now, wiping spit and blood off her face. She grimaced at the thought. "That's...that's not...You're wrong..."

"Am I? You're just their guitarist. Nothing more to them." The Shadow shrugged. "When someone better comes along, they won't need you anymore."

Cathy stood there, frozen and rendered speechless. It was hardly the worst that was said, true. But for some reason, it _felt _like the worst.

Because that was when she realized that all the fears her Shadow had pointed out, the ones she thought she never had, were true. Real. She _was _scared that her bandmates wouldn't accept her. She _was _scared that she'd become like her grandfather, taking drug after drug to escape from the pain. But most of all, she was scared she'd be just another star. Shining brightly for a while, before burning out.

There were billions of stars in the sky. Maybe she'd be one of the few that were named. Distinct. Bright. When she was gone, people would notice.

But they wouldn't care, because other stars would come in and fill in the void.

Ultimately, she was scared that she would never leave an impact on this world. Known and well-loved for a while like her grandfather, before simply fading out of existence. She wasn't needed. Not by her bandmates, and certainly not by this world.

"...You're right..." she choked out. The words were physically painful to say, but it was easier than apologizing for denying everything that had been said. Her pride felt bruised, worn out. The fight had taken more of a toll on her than expected, even emotionally. "You..."

"I'm you," the Shadow said. For a second, her gaze gentled. "You have to say it, Cathy. You have to accept me, or you'll never get past where you are now."

Cathy finally looked to her onlookers. She had noticed their presence before, but it didn't feel crucial until now. Victor, who was in her Philosophy class. Reed, the DJ at the Irish Rat from that night. Elizabeth, the librarian at her school. Why were they here? Where was she _really? _What was even going on?

That wasn't what was important now, though. She could demand her answers later. Right now, it was better to live in the moment. To deal first with the feelings she'd locked up and stored in her heart because she was too wrapped up in maintaining her illusion of a happy, perfect life.

The three of them nodded at her.

"You're me," Cathy told the Shadow. "An uglier version of me, but still me." She held out her hand for the Shadow to take.

Shadow Cathy smiled and accepted it. "That's right. I'm you." Her voice sounded different then. It sounded much like Cathy's, except older. Wiser. Musical. She was enveloped in a brilliant white light then. A card with a purple colour scheme appeared before Cathy, emblazoned with a large golden star surrounded by smaller ones, with the roman numerals "XVII" underneath. It faded just as the light did, revealing a woman who no longer looked like her – the only resemblance was the colour of her eyes, a stunning blue.

It was a woman in a long black dress with blue decorative stripes, matching the black and blue of her hair. On top of her head was a top hat adorned with a violet and around her neck, a blue scarf fluttering behind her into the wind. Most notable of all was the blue flying V in her hand, its headstock a metal speartip.

"Ah! Your guitar!" Cathy couldn't help but gush. "But...What happened to you?"

_"I am thou, and thou art I," _the mysterious woman told her. _"From the sea of thy soul, I come...I am Euterpe, the Muse of Songs." _She faded out of existence, leaving Cathy to look around, confused, clearly wondering where Euterpe had gone.

"She has her Persona now," Victor said incredulously.

"This is wonderful!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Another teammate, so soon? Margaret and Theodore will be delighted!"

"You guys...!" Cathy aimed her pointer finger at them accusingly, just as a wave of dizziness overcame her and she fell to her knees. "You...have _a lot _of explaining to do..."

That was all she managed to say before she blacked out.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**AN: **I love ending chapters with someone blacking out :D Next chapter's going to be a little bitch to edit. It's already done but has to go through A LOT of revision since it covers an entire in-story week. Be ready for that.

Trivia: Banshee's song is from Arc Rise Fantasia.

Trivia #2: The chapter title is a reference toooooooooo...Any guesses? :3


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